Ex-Maple Leaf Josh Leivo Shatters KHL Single-Season Goal-Scoring Record
Josh Leivo’s career has taken an unexpected yet remarkable turn.
After bouncing around the NHL for a decade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, and St. Louis Blues, the 31-year-old winger has found his scoring touch overseas — and then some.
Playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL, Leivo just shattered the league’s single-season goal record, netting 49 goals in 62 games, surpassing the long-standing mark of 48 set by Sergei Mozyakin in 2016-17.
He also chipped in 31 assists for 80 points, leading the league in scoring. “Everything just clicked this season,” Leivo said following the historic goal, which sent his teammates pouring off the bench in celebration.
Leivo, a native of Innisfil, Ont. was a third-round pick (86th overall) by the Maple Leafs in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
GOAL 4⃣9⃣
— KHL (@khl_eng) March 22, 2025
The Ufa bench clears after Josh Leivo 🇨🇦 set new KHL record for most goals scored in single regular season! pic.twitter.com/gRr0DEpw8v
Leivo's resurgence is nothing short of stunning. In his first KHL season in 2023-24, he posted a respectable 15 goals and 38 points in 40 games.
But this year, he emerged as an elite offensive force. Known during his NHL days as a depth forward with flashes of promise — including a 10-goal season with the Canucks — Leivo never had a chance to consistently play top-line minutes.
“I always felt I had more to give,” Leivo said earlier this year. “This opportunity in Russia gave me the chance to just go out there and be the guy.” His production earned him a two-year extension with Salavat Yulaev in February, but NHL teams have already taken notice.
Canadian forward Josh Leivo has broken the KHL record for most goals in a single regular season with 49. He finished the year with 80 points in 62 GP, most in the KHL and 9 shy of the record. pic.twitter.com/KSLs2umVa5
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) March 22, 2025
With the KHL playoffs about to begin, NHL general managers are reportedly circling. Players with his size, hands, and now record-setting pedigree don’t often resurface with this kind of momentum.
As one league executive put it, “You can’t ignore what he just did over there. That kind of goal scoring translates.” A return to the NHL — once improbable — now feels inevitable.
Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
