The deadline passed with just one minor move for the Toronto Maple Leafs: They’ve traded Par Lindholm to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for 23-year-old forward Nic Petan.
For the Leafs, the idea is that they’re adding a depth winger with more offensive upside than Par Lindholm has been offering from the fourth line; Lindholm, while he’s contributed as a regular on the penalty kill, has just one goal and 12 points in 61 games in his rookie NHL season, a good chunk of which was recorded while playing spot duty inside the top nine on the left wing next to Nazem Kadri.
Petan, who turns 24 in a month, spent most of last season with Manitoba, where he piled up 52 points in 52 games. A prolific scorer in junior (WHL Portland, Team Canada World Juniors) who has translated that over into the AHL, his minutes and offensive opportunities have been limited at the NHL level (23 points in 108 games, just 13 big-club appearances this year on the NHL roster as a waiver-eligible player), but he’s a skilled if undersized (5’9, 180lbs) playmaker.
Look at this ridiculous pass by Nic Petan. pic.twitter.com/xJdoFpMGUo
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 27, 2018
Petan will be on the outside looking in as the Leafs will go with Trevor Moore — who was called up today and is deserving of an extended look after his play in the AHL and in his appearances for the Leafs — on their fourth line LW for now, but Petan gives the organization a depth option with more offensive upside than Lindholm and he could definitely factor into the lineup this season. Whether it’s Moore or Petan playing regularly, the Leafs will have more skill on their fourth line, which had been offensively stagnant for some time with Frederik Gauthier and Lindholm making up two-thirds of it.
The one question mark is who takes up Lindholm’s PK responsibilities, but John Tavares or Mitch Marner’s roles could expand there or maybe Babcock starts to work Frederik Gauthier into that mix.
Quick Take
The Leafs needed to upgrade their L4 a little bit at a minimum today. It's in keeping with Kyle Dubas' style to acquire Nic Petan (younger asset with some upside, RFA control), move out Par Lindholm, and insert Trevor Moore instead of spending real assets to do it. https://t.co/5kAUA4rpIF
— Alec Brownscombe (@MapleLeafsHS) February 25, 2019
Nic Petan Statistics
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- | POST | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | North Shore WC Bantam A1-T1 “C” | PCBHL | 57 | 76 | 63 | 139 | - | | | |||||||
| 2010-11 | Greater Vancouver Canadians | BCMML | 35 | 19 | 30 | 49 | 36 | | | Playoffs | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 18 | |
| Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | Playoffs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011-12 | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 61 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 22 | 7 | | | Playoffs | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Canada Pacific U17 | WHC-17 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | | | ||||||||
| 2012-13 | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 71 | 46 | 74 | 120 | 43 | 68 | | | Playoffs | 21 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 16 |
| 2013-14 | Portland Winterhawks “A” | WHL | 63 | 35 | 78 | 113 | 69 | 47 | | | Playoffs | 21 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 38 |
| Canada U20 | WJC-20 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 1 | | | |||||||
| 2014-15 | Portland Winterhawks “C” | WHL | 54 | 15 | 74 | 89 | 41 | 41 | | | Playoffs | 17 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 20 |
| Canada U20 | WJC-20 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 4 | | | |||||||
| 2015-16 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 26 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | | | ||||||
| Manitoba Moose | AHL | 47 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 26 | -18 | | | |||||||
| 2016-17 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 54 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 12 | -13 | | | ||||||
| Manitoba Moose | AHL | 9 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | | | |||||||
| 2017-18 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | | | ||||||
| Manitoba Moose | AHL | 52 | 15 | 37 | 52 | 24 | 15 | | | Playoffs | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | |
| 2018-19 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | -2 | | | ||||||
| Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | - | - | - | - | - | | |
