Craig Berube gets more of the edge he wants as Landon Sim signs with the Maple Leafs
Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Landon Sim just gave the Maple Leafs a louder identity, and this signing says Craig Berube still wants more bite in Toronto.
Toronto announced Tuesday that Sim, the son of Jon Sim, signed a two-year entry-level contract starting in 2026-27. He is 21 and already inside the organization.
That part matters more than the paper move.
Sim already jumped from a one-year Marlies deal signed in May 2025 to an NHL contract one year later. That is a fast internal bet.
He was drafted in 2022, round 6, No. 184, by the St. Louis Blues. Toronto is buying the player and the attitude.
This is not about penciling Sim into a top-six job. This is about making sure the bottom of the roster stops feeling soft.
In 13 AHL games with the Marlies, Sim put up 3-0-3 with 31 penalty minutes. He also posted 2-4-6 and 44 penalty minutes in 18 ECHL games.
Landon Sim fits the Toronto Maple Leafs reset
Fans can roll their eyes at "toughness" talk, but this roster got pushed around too often when games turned ugly.
The Leafs are 32-35-14 and were eliminated from playoff contention, while allowing 296 goals, near the bottom of the league. That is where this signing starts to make sense.
Berube's teams want straight lines, pressure, and forwards who finish checks without drifting out of structure. Sim plays like he understands that job already.
His OHL track backs it up.
With London, Sim scored 53 points in 54 games in 2024-25, then finished his OHL run with 124 points and 66 goals in 213 regular-season games.
That mix is why this feels strategic, not cosmetic.
Toronto is not just signing a fighter. It is stocking the system with a winger who can agitate, chip in, and force the fringe forwards to answer harder questions next camp.
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