Leafs trade Andrew Nielsen against Flames against Morgan Klimchuk

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced tonight that they exchanged defenseman Andrew Nielsen against left winger Morgan Klimchuk.

23-year-old Morgan Klimchuk looks like an AHL-level scorer with 40 points in 62 GP last season. Scouts praise his talents in terms of double meaning and his work ethic. It certainly has a respectable production of the AHL, but it is often referred to as "handyman, master of nothing" without a lot of ceiling – and at this point, it should be close enough to everything that it on the ceiling. The 2013 first-round pick (it was 28th that year) has exactly one NHL Grand Prix to date. Without an unparalleled skill and an organization with a large number of fins in the NHL, this is purely an acquisition of the AHL. A fascinating note: He played in the WHL with center Adam Brooks for a while, and both seemed to be doing well together.

Andrew Nielsen was selected in 65th place in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and he has been creating hope in the fans for a while with impressive points production and a powerful shot. But Nielsen's skating and defense game has never evolved as expected, and this year he was struggling to get regular ice time on the Marlies defense group. His chances of winning the NHL must be considered distant at this stage. He has played only eight games with the Marlies this season.

Overall, this sounds like an unequivocal exchange of positions: the Marlies have room for maneuver and defense overhang, which has allowed them to turn things around. Hardev, Species and Kevin will keep an eye on Klimchuk in his Marlies play and tell us what to do with him in their cover of Marlies.

Welcome, Morgan, and goodness, Andrew.

Edited to add:

Recognizing that the Heat is not a very good team, Klimchuk obviously remains the help of the AHL, and not a remarkable prospect.