A couple hours past the NHL trade deadline the Toronto Maple Leafs threw out a tweet mentioning that “Oh yeah, we got a pick and traded away a prospect we didn’t want on the Marlies.”

Earlier today the Vegas Golden Knights and the Chicago Blackhawks submitted a trade that sent Blackhawks netminder Robin Lehner to Vegas, but to make it work it seems they enlisted the Toronto Maple Leafs to retain some of Lehner’s Salary.

From what I have gathered, the transaction is such:

From Toronto: Martins Dzierkals
From Chicago: Robin Lehner
From Vegas: Slava Demin, 2020 2nd & 5th round picks, Malcolm Subban

To Toronto: Robin Lehner salary, 5th round pick
To Chicago: Slava Demin, Malcolm Subban, 2020 2nd round pick
To Vegas: Robin Lehner, Martins Dzierkals

The Maple Leafs used their cap space to get a 5th round pick essentially. Dzierkals has been playing in Liiga this season with Jukurit, where he has 10 points in 31 games. The 5th round pick isn’t a lot, but it’s a shot at someone. Past 5th round picks have been: Michael Koster (2019), Filip Kral (2018), the recently lost Dmytro Timashov (2015), and longtime Leaf Kyle Wellwood (2001).

More details:

Clearly only the Leafs could have made this deal since they were the only team where the GM wouldn’t start crying as the Vegas people explained it.

Maple Leafs Trades