Toronto Maple Leafs: Roman Polak and Nick Spaling Dealt to the Sharks
General manager Lou Lamoriello capped off a busy weekend with another trade for the Toronto Maple Leafs, sending workhorse Roman Polak and Nick Spaling to the San Jose Sharks.
More from Toronto Maple Leafs
- Maple Leafs Rumours: Half of NHL teams interested in Ilya Mikheyev
- Toronto Maple Leafs: How to address the goaltender position
- Leafs reward Timothy Liljegren with extension after breakout season
- Maple Leafs: Jack Campbell situation becoming increasingly uncertain
- Jason Spezza retires, joins Toronto Maple Leafs front office
When the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Carl Gunnarsson for Roman Polak back in 2014, there was some confusion towards the trade, with many believing they did not get enough in return. However, during his tenure with the Leafs, Polak was complimented for his hard-nosed style of play.
This ultimately made Polak a valuable trade asset this season. There was no doubt the Leafs would trade him to a team that needed depth heading into the playoffs, but there was always the question of who would give them the best offer.
The San Jose Sharks made a head coaching change in the offseason, bringing in Peter Deboer to replace Todd McLellan, while also traded for Martin Jones to be their new number one goalie. They have been able to remain in the hunt in the Western Conference, but looked to make some moves to improve their team before the trade deadline.
Adding Polak and Nick Spaling will give them depth and experience heading into the playoffs, but they were also able to get rid of a contract in the process. In return for Spaling and Polak, the Leafs received two second round draft picks in 2017 and 2018 and Raffi Torres.
However, the Leafs have already sent Torres to San Jose’s AHL team, because San Jose was trying to unload his contract and the Leafs have the cap space to take it. Getting picks for this year’s draft is important, but with Toronto in a rebuilding stage, they need to add picks in future drafts as well.
With the number of players either injured or traded so far, the Leafs will need to rely on the Toronto Marlies to have players capable of making the jump to the NHL. So getting as many draft picks and young players as possible in order to restock the prospect cupboard, is vital towards the rebuild.
With Polak and Spaling gone, the Leafs announced Brendan Leipsic and Stuart Percy were recalled from the Marlies. Expect more of this, especially with players like P.A. Parenteau, Brad Boyes, Michael Grabner, and Mark Arcobello expected to be moved.
Percy will be an RFA this summer so he will probably get an extended look with the Leafs, to see whether or not he could make the permanent jump next season. The other question will be to see whether William Nylander or Connor Brown will get a chance to play for the Leafs this season, or remain with the Marlies.
Given the state of the Leafs roster and the number of players expected to be traded, it would not be surprising to see more Marlies players make the jump to the Leafs for brief stints.
Next: Leafs mock draft Monday 2.0
What do you make of this trade? Are you happy with what the Leafs received in return for Roman Polak and Nick Spaling? Lets us know in the comments section below.