Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Richard Panik to Chicago Blackhawks for Jeremy Morin

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks have exchanged 24-year-old prospects in a move that provides both players with a fresh start.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired forward Jeremy Morin from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Richard Panik. Both players are 24-year-old second round picks from the 2009 draft and have struggled to break the NHL full-time during their five-year careers.

Originally acquired on waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning last fall, Panik played in 76 games for the Leafs last year, scoring 11 goals and adding six assists. After showing next to nothing during the preseason, Panik has spent most of this season with the Toronto Marlies, where he’s played with William Nylander and Josh Leivo. He’s put up 24 points through 32 games.

As for Morin, he was originally acquired by Chicago in 2010, and aside from a brief stint with Columbus last season, that’s where he’s spent the majority of his career. Much like Panik, Morin has struggled to crack the NHL. Despite this, he has produced well in the AHL registering 132 points in 186 games, all for the Rockford Ice Hogs.

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So far this season, Morin has 22 points in 28 games, but never received a call-up from the Blackhawks. He does have NHL experience, however. Over the course of his career, he’s seen sporadic playing time in the NHL, but has managed to post 22 points in 82 games.

With one-year remaining on his contract at $800,000, Morin will become a restricted free agent this summer. The other part worth mentioning about his contract is that the Leafs can keep him in the AHL without any cap hit, which is a bonus.

When you analyze this trade, it’s hard not to think of it as anything other than a fresh start — or opportunity — for both players. The two players share a slew of similarities such as age, draft class, similar statistics and struggles to crack the NHL. One could say it’s virtually an exchange of lottery ticket prospects.

If you want to find some differences between the two players, you have to dig deeper. Domenic Galamini (@MimicoHero) helped everyone do that with this nifty graphic comparing the two players.

With small sample sizes at the NHL level, it’s tough to formulate a strong opinion on either player, but it does seem like Morin has had slightly more success at the NHL level than Panik. He also has generated more shots in the AHL this season, averaging 2.64 shots per game, while Panik has averaged 2.0.

Another angle to consider here is that there was chatter Morin apparently fell out of favour with Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, and clearly Leafs head coach Mike Babcock isn’t a big fan of Panik, so perhaps a new team is the best thing for both players development.

According to Chicago Sun-Times Hawks’ beat writer Mark Lazerus, coach Q shares a similar sentiment.

Although Panik will immediately play with the Blackhawks, Morin will head to the Marlies. Obviously Morin has holes in his game that are preventing him from becoming a full-time NHL’er, but he does appear to have a better skill set than Panik, which makes him a more than worthy addition for the Marlies.

Best case scenario, Morin fulfills his potential and turns into a gritty player who plays a similar game to that of Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader. Worst case scenario, he remains an organizational depth player who fills out the Marlies roster.

In all likelihood though, this swap of prospects will have minimal effect on either team’s future — or current — plans.

For more on Morin, here’s a 2013 System Spotlight video from Blackhawks TV.

What do you think of the trade? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.