Toronto Maple Leafs: Soshnikov Dealt to the Blues

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded Nikita Soshnikov to the St. Louis Blues for a fourth round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

Nikita Soshnikov was the subject of a controversy earlier this week when, after playing five games in the AHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs did not deem him healthy enough to come of the injured reserve. Were the Leafs once against skirting the rules? Or at least, staying within them only on a technical basis?

After the Lupul and Robidas situations (to say nothing of how the Leafs got out of both the supposedly untradeable Clarkson and Phaneuf contracts) people following the Leafs would expect nothing less.   It’s got to annoy some of the Leafs competitors, but if it helps the Leafs and is at least technically legal, then why not?

Soshnikov has been the subject of trade rumors in Toronto for what seems like forever. Soshnikov was originally signed as an un-drafted free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs in March of 2015. He grew tiresome of playing in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. So, he decided to pack his bags for North America. He made his NHL debut in February of 2016, but failed to find a permanent role in Toronto.

Additionally, he’s been in and out of the lineup due to injury. On December 12th, Lou Lamoriello placed Soshnikov on Injury Reserve with a lower body injury.

Last week, Soshnikov was sent down to the Toronto Marlies on a conditioning stint. Soshnikov appeared in five games for the Marlies prior to being recalled.

On Monday, TSN Insider, Pierre LeBrun tweeted that Lamoriello officially recalled Soshnikov. Lamoriello decided to keep Soshnikov on injured reserve, so he didn’t have to force a roster decision by clearing him.

It’s now evident that Lamoriello was working the phones to see if he can drum up some interest. Lamoriello was able to peak the interest of Doug Armstrong, the general manager of the Blues.

Great Trade For Toronto

Lamoriello’s trade with St. Louis was a great deal for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Due to Soshnikov’s injury history, I didn’t assume that Lou Lamoriello would get a middle round draft pick. Personally, I thought that the Toronto Maple Leafs would end up with a veteran AHL player.  Singing a player as a UFA and turning him into a draft pick is a profit.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have done a great job of stock piling draft picks. They now have 16 draft picks in the next two entry drafts. Should Lamoriello and Brendan Shanahan look to make a blockbuster deal at the deadline, they have a lot of bargaining chips with their draft picks.

Next: Phaneuf Trade Still a Win

Not only does Lamoriello have a lot of bargaining chips, he also has cleared a roster spot. The Maple Leafs now have 49 roster spots filled. So, you can expect that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be active prior to February 26th to land an asset to help make a run for the Stanley Cup.

statistics from NHL.com