A couple hours past the NHL trade deadline the Toronto Maple Leafs threw out a tweet mentioning that “Oh yeah, we got a pick and traded away a prospect we didn’t want on the Marlies.”
The @MapleLeafs have acquired Vegas’ 2020 fifth-round pick in three-team trade with Golden Knights and Blackhawks.
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) February 24, 2020
Details: https://t.co/fJuQKHZvZx#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/m2tqha8e7r
Earlier today the Vegas Golden Knights and the Chicago Blackhawks submitted a trade that sent Blackhawks netminder Robin Lehner to Vegas, but to make it work it seems they enlisted the Toronto Maple Leafs to retain some of Lehner’s Salary.
From what I have gathered, the transaction is such:
From Toronto: Martins Dzierkals
From Chicago: Robin Lehner
From Vegas: Slava Demin, 2020 2nd & 5th round picks, Malcolm Subban
To Toronto: Robin Lehner salary, 5th round pick
To Chicago: Slava Demin, Malcolm Subban, 2020 2nd round pick
To Vegas: Robin Lehner, Martins Dzierkals
The Maple Leafs used their cap space to get a 5th round pick essentially. Dzierkals has been playing in Liiga this season with Jukurit, where he has 10 points in 31 games. The 5th round pick isn’t a lot, but it’s a shot at someone. Past 5th round picks have been: Michael Koster (2019), Filip Kral (2018), the recently lost Dmytro Timashov (2015), and longtime Leaf Kyle Wellwood (2001).
More details:
The three-way Robin Lehner deal includes complex salary retention: TOR retains 44% of the 50% retained by CHI, which amounts to a $1.1M cap charge and roughly $190,000 in salary owed.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 24, 2020
Toronto adds a fifth-round pick for its troubles. #SNTrade
Clearly only the Leafs could have made this deal since they were the only team where the GM wouldn’t start crying as the Vegas people explained it.
