The Toronto Maple Leafs announced tonight that they have traded defenceman Andrew Nielsen for left winger Morgan Klimchuk.
.@SportChek Player Alert: The @MapleLeafs have acquired forward Morgan Klimchuk from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Andrew Nielsen.
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) November 28, 2018
Details >> https://t.co/dOlYxWr2X6#TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/W0qozgb39Z
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. One fascinating note: he played in the WHL with centre Adam Brooks for a time, and the two seemed to do well together.
Morgan Klimchuk via Elite Prospects
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | Playoffs | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-2009 | Calgary Bisons Bantam AAA | AMBHL | 32 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 10 | ||||||
| 2009-2010 | Calgary Bisons Bantam AAA | AMBHL | 28 | 33 | 19 | 52 | 44 | Playoffs | 13 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 12 |
| 2010-2011 | Calgary Buffaloes Midget AAA | AMHL | 32 | 27 | 23 | 50 | 12 | Playoffs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Alberta | CWG | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |||||||
| Regina Pats | WHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| 2011-2012 | Regina Pats | WHL | 67 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 27 | Playoffs | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Canada Pacific U17 | WHC-17 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | |||||||
| 2012-2013 | Regina Pats | WHL | 72 | 36 | 40 | 76 | 20 | ||||||
| Canada U18 | Hlinka Gretzky Cup | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |||||||
| Canada U18 | WJC-18 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | |||||||
| 2013-2014 | Regina Pats | WHL | 57 | 30 | 44 | 74 | 27 | Playoffs | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||||||
| WHL All-Stars | Jr Super Series | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| 2014-2015 | Regina Pats | WHL | 27 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 12 | ||||||
| WHL All-Stars | Jr Super Series | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 33 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 12 | Playoffs | 13 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2015-2016 | Stockton Heat | AHL | 55 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 10 | ||||||
| 2016-2017 | Stockton Heat | AHL | 66 | 19 | 24 | 43 | 36 | Playoffs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017-2018 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Stockton Heat | AHL | 62 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 24 | |||||||
| 2018-2019 | Stockton Heat | AHL | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
Andrew Nielsen was selected 65th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, and he stirred hopes in the fanbase for a time with impressive point production and a heavy shot. But Nielsen’s skating and defensive game never developed as hoped, and this year he was struggling to get consistent ice time on a deep Marlies’ defence group. His chances of the NHL have to be considered remote at this point. He has appeared in only eight games for the Marlies this season.
All in all this looks like a straight up positional trade: the Marlies have room at forward and had a surplus at defence, and so they made a move to redress the balance. Hardev, Species and Kevin will keep an eye on Klimchuk in his Marlies play and let us know what to make of him in their Marlies coverage.
Welcome, Morgan, and godspeed, Andrew.
Edited to add:
Recognizing that the Heat are not a very good team, Klimchuk is still obviously AHL help, not a prospect of note.
