Sharks acquire Polak, Spaling in trade with Maple Leafs

Toronto traded defenceman Roman Polak and centre Nick Spaling to the San Jose Sharks for second-round picks in the 2017 and 2018 drafts, the team announced on Monday morning.

Torres, 34, has gone pointless in six games with the Sharks’ affiliate affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, this season. In 35 games this year, the 27-year-old Spaling has one goal and seven assists, and has the versatility to play center or on the wing. Polak and Spaling are set to be unrestricted free agents. He was suspended for 41 games in October after illegally checking Anaheim Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg in the head. After serving his half-season suspension, he’s now in the AHL and stands to remain there for the rest of the year, which buries $950,000 of his cap hit. He also did not want to give up a pick in this year’s draft if possible after previously trading San Jose’s first-rounder to Boston for goalie Martin Jones and third-rounder to Dallas in the deal that brought defenseman Brenden Dillon to the Sharks. He will Monday’s game against the Blues but should return for Wednesday’s game in Colorado.

Losing Polak won’t be seen as a huge blow to the Leafs future.

The question of Polak being traded was more a matter of “who to” than if. “Blocks shots, certainly a great PK player”. More than that, he’s a great skater.

“Raff is a good man”, Wilson said. “The physicality we’re playing against, being familiar with playing in the West, the importance of penalty killing in the playoffs and down the stretch run is obviously a big indicator”. Polak represented the Czech Republic at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

In 414 career National Hockey League regular-season games with the Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Leafs, Spaling has accumulated 50 goals and 68 assists for 118 points, to date, with 114 penalty minutes. “He can skate, has a good shot, can get up and down the ice and can play physical as well”.