TORONTO — Scott Milanovich says he’s not losing any sleep over his kicking game.

The Argos are going all in with Lirim Hajrullahu, the only kicker currently on the roster who Milanovich says is expected to take on kickoff duties along with the role of place kicker and punter for the team in 2016.

While the 26-year-old had his struggles throughout last season, Milanovich has no qualms leaning on the veteran’s leg late in games this year.

“We’ve got some other things in mind, but Lirim’s our guy,” said Milanovich, asked about the Argos’ kicking game during a season preview teleconference earlier in the week. “That’s what I told him when we signed him in free agency.

“He doesn’t need to look over his shoulder.”

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Milanovich says the plan is to bring in depth in case of injury, but other than that Hajrullahu appears to hold the key to the Argos’ kicking game. Swayze Waters handled the Argos’ kicking duties for four years from 2012 through 2015 but departed in the off-season to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.

Replacing Waters is a mighty responsibility for Hajrullahu, a St. Catharines, Ont. native who departed Winnipeg as a free agent on a sour note following a disappointing 2015.

Last year Hajrullahu made only 22 of 32 field goals, the lowest point coming last October when he apologized to Bombers fans for missing four field goals and a convert, the difference in a game his team lost 24-23. Before long, he had been replaced by Head Coach Mike O’Shea as the team’s primary place kicker.

It was quite the sudden demise for a player who just the previous year was up for the league’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in his rookie season, and the Argos see no reason he can’t regain his form.

“I look back to his rookie year and last year,” said Milanovich. “There’s no kicker in the history of the CFL and NFL that hasn’t had some bumpy roads.

“The one tough game he had in Winnipeg – all the kicks were solid,” he added. “I’m a positive thinker, I think he’s going to kick well. I think he’s going to rebound, I think he’s going to be a great player.”

In a rookie season to remember, Hajrullahu emerged as one of the CFL’s top kickers by connecting on 40 of 46 field goal tries and 31 of 32 converts. Last year he missed almost a third of his field goal tries, while the extra point moving back cause him nightmares and led him to miss 15 of 21 single point attempts.

Lirim Hajrullahu Career Statistics

Year FG (M-A) % PTS XP (M-A) 2014 40-46 87.0 151 31-32 2015 22-32 68.8 81 15-21

With so many games in Winnipeg decided in the last minute, the Bombers’ kicking game crumbled under the pressure last season, converting on just three of five tries inside the 3:00 warning while going 4-for-7 on attempts that would generate a lead change. The Bombers also struggled on kicks from further out, hitting on 11 of 22 tries from 40-plus yards.

Bombers GM Kyle Walters addressed the problem on the first day of free agency by signing perennial All-Star Justin Medlock, while the Argos felt the departed Hajrullahu could fill the void left by the All-Star Waters.

Milanovich said his talks with the Bombers’ O’Shea only made the decision easier.

“I spent some time talking to Mike O’Shea, who I know loves him despite the circumstances,” said Milanovich. “He loves his toughness.”

The change of scenery could help Hajrullahu, a young kicker now playing closer to home looking to restore his career. But he’ll have to be cool under pressure.

The Argos are heading into a pivotal season in their first year under new ownership. General Manager Jim Barker has spent the off-season fortifying his defence with proven veteran pieces and a mastermind of a defensive coordinator in Rich Stubler. The offence is full of explosive receivers who now have their rookie years behind them and will get to play with a fully healthy Ricky Ray.

And while the move to BMO Field could reinvigorate the Argos’ fan base, it also means no more safe haven for kickers in the form of the climate-controlled Rogers Centre. The team’s new lakefront stadium won’t be free from windy conditions and whatever else comes with the Canadian climate.

Of course snow, rain, wind, sleet — you name it — Hajrullahu has seen it all. And if the game is on the line, the Argos are quite happy to have him lining up to take the kick.

“I haven’t lost a bit of sleep over the guy that’s gonna be lining up to kick our game winners,” said Milanovich.