The Maple Leafs have re-signed center Ryan Tverberg to a two-way deal, per PuckPedia. A restricted free agent for just a few days, he’ll make $850K if on the NHL roster this season with a $250K minors salary and a $350K guarantee.

Tverberg, 24, was only due a $850K qualifying offer anyway but lands higher minor-league compensation with this deal. He was coming off his entry-level contract, which he signed back in 2023 after a three-year run at UConn. He was initially a seventh-round pick by Toronto back in 2020. The signing brings the Leafs up to 45 contracts on the books for this season while likely walking Tverberg to Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer.

The 5’11”, 187-lb forward is coming off a Calder Cup win with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, where he’s spent virtually all of the last three seasons. He did get to make his NHL debut late last season with the Leafs out of playoff contention, suiting up twice in April without recording a point.

In the minors, he’s a strong energy/checking forward, but his output has been inconsistent from year to year. He impressed as a rookie in 2023-24 with a 9-23–32 scoring line in just 46 games but managed just 11 points in the same number of appearances the following season. His championship-winning campaign last year saw him get back on track with a career-best 15 goals and 36 points in 63 games.

Tverberg likely won’t amount to anything in the NHL long-term, but could prove to be a reliable recall option if Toronto needs bottom-six help. His good defensive awareness should make him a no-fuss option for a few games at a time under new head coach Jim Hiller. Since he’ll hit age 25 by next July 1 with (likely) less than 80 games of NHL experience and at least three years of AHL time, he’ll get an early exit to UFA but could still opt to re-sign with the Leafs before then if both sides see a fit.