PICKARD PACKS UP HIS BAGS AGAIN
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired goaltender Calvin Pickard from the Vegas Golden Knights for winger Tobias Lindberg and a sixth-round draft pick in 2018.
What does it give the Toronto Maple Leafs
In Pickard, the Maple Leafs hope to be getting a solid backup option for the not-too-distant future. Current backup Curtis McElhinney is a quality teammate and decent No. 2 option in net, but he lacks Pickard's puck-stopping talent. This move was needed for Toronto, who lacked a little depth between the pipes.
What does it give the Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights decided to claim Malcolm Subban off waivers from Boston recently, which made Pickard expendable. In return, the Knights received a solid winger prospect in Lindberg (whose path to the NHL was blocked by several others within the Leafs' organization) and a late-round pick. Not a bad deal.
Fantasy impact
Pickard was supposed to be Marc-Andre Fleury's backup in Vegas, but the club decided to go in a different direction. Now that he is Frederik Andersen's eventual backup (but currently Toronto's third-string netminder), Pickard's immediate fantasy value actually moves down. As for Lindberg, his chances of cracking the NHL have increased with the move from Toronto to Vegas.
