The Toronto Maple Leafs announced tonight that they have traded defenceman Andrew Nielsen for left winger Morgan Klimchuk.
Morgan Klimchuk, 23, looks like a decent AHL-calibre scorer, with 40 points in 62 GP last season. Scouts speak highly of his two-way ability and his work ethic, and he certainly has respectable AHL production, but he’s often characterized as a “jack of all trades, master of none” type without much ceiling—and by this point, he should be pretty near whatever ceiling he has. The 2013 first round pick (he went 28th that year) has exactly one NHL GP to his credit thus far, and without a standout skill and in an organization with a deep supply of NHL wingers, this seems purely like an AHL acquisition.