Reportedly, he’s a special talent – big and athletic, but also smart and technically sound. The big question hockey odds followers should ask, however, is whether or not he’ll adjust to Toronto life. Playing in Sweden may bring more pressure than we North Americans think – after all, don’t they care more about their hockey there than people do in Florida, Atlanta and Nashville? – but nothing can prepare a player for the media circus of Toronto or Montreal.

It helps that Gustavsson has reportedly gotten some mentoring from Swede and former Leaf Borje Salming, but I’m sure he’ll face an adjustment period. The media scrutiny will be endless – in many ways, it already is with him. Maybe Leaf fans should expect him to be a bit nervous in goal during his first few starts.

Also, it’ll be interesting to see how Gustavsson handles the physicality of the NHL. A goalie, you ask? Well, he’ll see more traffic and venom in his crease than he’s used to. However, I think he’ll be fine in that regard – he’s a big guy and, thanks to Brian Burke, he has a mean group of customers on the blueline to protect him.

Best of luck to the Monster – but the Leafs may want to temper their expectations slightly for the first half of next season.