Maple Leafs sign Landon Sim to two-year entry-level contract

Toronto is turning Landon Sim’s minor-league path into a real NHL investment, signing the former London Knights forward to a two-year entry-level contract that starts in 2026-27. The move says the Maple Leafs do not see him as a temporary AHL stop, but as a player worth securing now after a first pro season that showed both bite and upside.

Sim, 21, spent this season on the Marlies’ AHL deal after signing a one-year contract with Toronto on May 5, 2025. He split time between the Toronto Marlies and the Cincinnati Cyclones, scoring three goals in 13 AHL games and adding six points in 18 ECHL games. The numbers are modest, but the organization’s decision to elevate him to an NHL contract suggests Toronto values the package around them: a heavy winger, a competitive edge and a style that coaches trust in a depth role.

The contract runs through the 2027-28 season with an average annual value of $955,000, and Sim is expected to become a restricted free agent when it expires. For a player originally taken by the St. Louis Blues in the sixth round, 184th overall, in the 2022 NHL Draft, the deal marks a major change in trajectory. St. Louis never signed him, and he became a free agent two years later before Toronto stepped in.

Sim’s junior résumé gives the Leafs something to believe in. The New Glasgow, Nova Scotia native played 213 career regular-season games with the London Knights, producing 124 points on 66 goals and 58 assists. He also added 27 playoff points in 53 postseason games and won OHL championships with London in 2024 and 2025. That track record matters for Toronto, which has watched him move from high-end junior scorer to a pro trying to translate that game into the grind of the AHL.

Marlies coach John Gruden has described Sim as competitive, engaged and a winner, and that assessment fits the broader picture here. Toronto is not simply rewarding a good first year; it is betting that Sim can become both a Marlies priority piece and a future NHL depth option. With his family hockey roots, including father Jon Sim, a former NHL player and Stanley Cup winner from New Glasgow, Landon Sim arrives with a recognizable pedigree and a style that already fits the kind of bottom-six energy Toronto continues to chase.