Heading into the offseason, there was tons of speculation regarding the Leafs' rebuild and who the Leafs would trade, but the name that circled around the media most was Phil Kessel. And on July 1st, the trade finally happened. The Leafs dealt Kessel along with Tyler Biggs, Tim Erixon, and a 2nd rounder in 2016 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for prospects Kasperi Kapanen and Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling, a 1st round pick and a 3rd round pick. Spaling is the only name that will secure himself a spot on the 2015-16 Leafs roster, as they will likely give Kapanen and Harrington more time in the minors to develop, so let's take a quick look at Spaling and what he has to offer.
Spaling began his NHL career in Nashville in the 2009-10 season, and proceeded to spend six seasons playing for the Predators. He is known as more of a two way forward than a strict offensive player who scores a lot. His career year came with the Predators in his final season with them where he recorded 32 points in 71 games. He was then dealt to the Penguins along with Patric Hornqvist for James Neal, and recorded 27 points in 82 games in his only season with the Pens before being dealt to the Leafs in the Kessel trade. He's a cheap player at $2.2 million per year and can be utilized on the penalty kill and in the bottom six as a depth forward.
STATUS: RENTAL PLAYER
Considering Spaling only has one year left on his contract, expect him to be dealt to a contender at the deadling in exchange for a prospect or a draft pick. He isn't likely to be a member of the long haul considering the amount of prospects the Leafs have coming up, Spaling likely won't stick around for too much longer.
2015-16 ROLE: BOTTOM SIX FORWARD
It's almost a given that the Leafs will have Spaling slot into a bottom six role, considering players such as Shawn Matthias, Richard Panik, and Mark Arcobello would be the most likely canidates to play in the top six. Expect a 3rd or 4th line centre role for Spaling.
What do you think of Spaling, Leafs fans? Leave your opinion below.
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