3 things Maple Leafs fans should know about Kalinin trade
P.K. Subban for Shea Weber, Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson, and now Sergey Kalinin for Viktor Loov.
OK, maybe not, but the Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils gave trade-starved hockey fans something to digest on Saturday, swapping players in a not-so-impactful deal.
Regardless, here's what you need to know:
His resume
Kalinin is an undrafted 25-year-old centerman who's spent the past two years with the Devils after six seasons with Omsk in the KHL.
Over 121 NHL games, Kalinin's recorded 19 points, including four in 43 games this season.
His travel partner, Loov, was a seventh-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2012, and has four NHL games to his name.
Insurance policy
Don't order your Kalinin jerseys just yet, he'll report straight to the AHL's Marlies to stay for the long term, barring a slew of injuries.
The Marlies needed some depth at center, and pivots Ben Smith, Frederik Gauthier, and Byron Froese will likely all be chosen for Maple Leafs duties before Kalinin.
Additionally, this move has nothing to do with the upcoming expansion draft:
Sergey Kalinin is exempt from the expansion draft as a second-year pro in North America. So no benefit to the #leafs there. Depth addition.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 18, 2017
Why didn't they just claim him?
Despite Kalinin recently being waived by New Jersey, Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello called up his old Devils friends and opted for a trade, which is much more sensible for Toronto.
Instead of only adding a contract, the Maple Leafs opted to give one up, keeping the club's total at 49 out of a league-maximum 50.
Furthermore, if Toronto simply claimed Kalinin off waivers, they'd have to waive him once acquired and send him to the Marlies, which would run the small risk of losing him altogether.