Nikita Soshnikov will be back practising with the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, his AHL conditioning stint over.
The Leafs made no roster moves to open a spot for him. They simply left him on Injured Reserve.
“We will be recalling him from his conditioning and his status will not change, he will still remain on IR,” Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello said. “He’s down for conditioning. We have to get him in practice. He will practise with us. There’s no illegality to this. We’re not doing anything that’s not the normal process. When it’s time, it’s time.”
Though Soshnikov played for the Marlies and appears healthy, the collective bargaining agreement allows team doctors to determine if a player is healthy enough to play in the NHL. There is nothing requiring those doctors to make that determination right away.
Soshnikov’s agent, Dan Milstein, says he has “no issue” with his player staying on injured reserve.
To the layman, it’s a bold move, another so-called “Robidas Island” roster manipulation by Lamoriello, who uses the fine print of the CBA to create roster space where none seem obviously available. Both Stephane Robidas and Joffrey Lupul essentially dropped from the team radar when doctors determined they were not healthy enough to play over the past two seasons.
That created both roster spots and salary-cap space. It wasn’t without controversy when Lupul suggested in September that he was healthy enough and that the Leafs were cheating. The league investigated. Lupul deleted his Instagram post, and recently said he considers himself “retired.”
Soshnikov’s issue is a smaller-scale version with the roster spot more the issue than the cap hit ($736,666).
Unlike Lupul and Robidas, the Leafs regard the 24-year-old Soshnikov as a prospect for the future, albeit one that seems to have an issue remaining healthy and has a history of concussions. He has an “out” in his contract to return to the KHL if he’s demoted to the Marlies permanently.
The Leafs are at the maximum 23 roster spots. Soshnikov would be the 24th, meaning someone from the active roster would have to be moved when he is cleared by team doctors.
The easiest move would also be the least popular with the fan base: The Leafs could send Kasperi Kapanen or Travis Dermott to the Marlies. Neither would require waivers. But team brass has determined both are playing too well to be demoted.
The other extras — Soshnikov, Matt Martin and Josh Leivo — would require waivers, and could be lost for nothing, something Lamoriello would be loath to do, at least so close to the trade deadline. That’s Feb. 26, by the way, and rosters can expand beyond 23 (as long a teams remain under the salary cap) which will negate this conundrum.
“We still have players that can be sent to the minors,” Lamoriello said. “It’s not a case that we don’t have the ability to do what has to be done.”
By leaving Soshnikov on injured reserve — as allowed by the CBA — Lamoriello is buying himself time to make a roster move, as in a possible trade. Leivo is known to be unhappy as a continual healthy scratch. Lamoriello, by the way, said he has not heard directly from Leivo that the player wants to be traded, although he understands the player is not happy with his role.
“We’re going to do whatever is best for the Toronto Maple Leafs,” said Lamoriello. “Everyone one of these players have been outstanding. These are difficult circumstances for players. It’s unfortunate.”
