Toronto Maple Leafs: The Nikita Soshnikov Problem

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nikita Soshnikov has been passed over on the depth chart by Kasperi Kapanen after a rough season.

Soshnikov started the season on the Toronto Marlies before being promoted to the Toronto Maple Leafs in November. However, the constant carousel of linemates and injuries plaguing him throughout the year prevented him from being able to hit stride with the team.

The 23-year old Soshnikov has one more year on his entry-level contract left, and will be a UFA next July. He only managed nine points last season in 56 games. In his previous (rookie) season with the Leafs, he tallied five points in eleven games. It’s too small a sample size to determine if the Leafs should keep or trade him.

The question now is where he belongs on this team. If he wasn’t able to make the team out of training camp last season, he’d be hard pressed to do it again in September. There doesn’t seem to be a place for him to play, so he’ll likely be down with the Marlies again. But it’s not a permanent fix.

Passed by Kapanen

At the beginning of last season, Soshnikov’s previous NHL experience gave him the edge over the more offensively-gifted Kapanen. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to consistently perform and stay in the lineup. When the Leafs called Kapanen up from the AHL, he made an immediate impact. Kapanen’s performance during the Leafs first-round series versus Washington all-but ensured that he would make the Leafs the next season.

Too Many RWs

Both players play the right-wing, the one position the Leafs seem to have way too many talented players at. The obvious right-wing locks next season are Mitch Marner, Connor Brown and Kapanen.

Additionally, there is William Nylander who will play right wing if not moved to centre, giving the Leafs four right-wingers that Soshnikov has virtually no chance of beating out for a job. The only real place for Soshmikov is on the fourth line, and with the addition of more left-wing talent,  Matt Martin could possibly shift to the right side and that would bump Soshnikov out of the Leafs lineup altogether, barring injury.  Unless, of course, Mike Babcock decides to actually sit Martin in the press box.

Options for Soshnikov

The easiest solution would be for Soshnikov to go to the Marlies and play there as a potential call-up. However, this is not guaranteed, especially since the Marlies boast other talented wingers who could easily outperform Soshnikov during the year.

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Would the Leafs be able to find a potential suitor in a trade? The fact that Soshnikov hasn’t played more than 67 games in his two-year NHL career doesn’t make him a lucrative piece of a trade. They could include him as another component of a bigger trade, like one that involves Tyler Bozak or James van Riemsdyk, for example.

Soshnikov has shown at times that he has the skill and speed to become an NHL regular. He’s excellent on the forecheck, a good penalty killer, and plays with the grit and tenacity that you wouldn’t normally expect to see in a smaller player. His defensive game needs a little work, so if the Leafs did trade him, he likely wouldn’t make an impact on that NHL team right away.

It doesn’t hurt for the Leafs to hang onto Soshnikov a little while longer. Leaving him to grow his game with the Marlies and improve defensively will allow him to blossom into the depth forward they are looking for. If he does, he’ll likely be a mainstay on the fourth line (which hopefully won’t include Martin anymore). His next contract, whether it’s with the Leafs or not, will not be exorbitantly high, and they should be able to keep him for the right price.

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Look for Soshnikov to start with the Marlies next season, and if he can rebound from last year, we should be seeing him up with the Leafs again soon.

Statistics and other information sourced from Hockey-Reference and CapFriendly.