The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded forward Nikita Soshnikov to the St. Louis Blues for a 2019 fourth round pick.
The 24-year old Soshnikov was undrafted and carries a $736,666 salary cap hit.
Thoughts from the media …
Pierre LeBrun: “Feeling within Leafs was that Soshnikov simply wasn’t ahead of anyone in their main group. Good person, fresh start will be good for him. Good buy-low pickup by Blues. Leafs open up a spot on their 50 contracts so they can add if need be before deadline”
Cap Friendly: “With the #Leafs trading F Nikita Soshnikov to St. Louis in return for a draft pick, Toronto now drops down to 49 contracts giving them a little more flexibility leading up to the trade deadline.”
Chris Johnston: “Nikita Soshnikov came a long way in a short span of time in Toronto. Learned a language and how to play in North America. Simply got caught in a numbers game with #leafs.”
Mike Augello: “Soshnikov is a good player and plays a feisty game, but durability has always been a concern, the waiver factor had him stuck in Leivo land and based on his ELC expiring, a return to the KHL was highly probable.”
Jeremy Rutherford: “Soshnikov is on IR but the club says he’ll be added to the active roster when he’s cleared by team doctors and obtains a work visa.”
Lou Korac: “Soshnikov, who’s 24 and is currently on IR, plays right wing and is in the final year of a three-year entry level contract that carries a $736,666 cap hit. He is set to be a RFA this summer.”
Lou Korac: “Soshnikov will report to St. Louis in 7-10 days after he has attained a United States visa.”
Jeff Gordon: “Blues lack a dedicated farm team, so didn’t have a full load of contracts. Smart to add another young forward to the pile. Adds flexibility as trade deadline nears.”
Cap Friendly: “With the #NHL trade deadline only 11 days away, the #Leafs currently have the following assets: #Leafs have $5,448,334 of deadline cap space #Leafs are no longer at the 50 contract limit #Leafs have 8 draft picks in both 2018 and 2019 NHL entry drafts.”