Sharks Acquire Roman Polak And Nick Spaling From Leafs

The San Jose Sharks sent veteran forward Raffi Torres and a pair of second round draft picks to the Toronto Maple Leafs for center Nick Spaling (pictured) and defenseman Roman Polak.

The Sharks are eager for playoff success after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2003.  They are currently in third place in the Pacific Division and only three points behind rival Los Angeles and two points behind Anaheim.

“We wanted to give this group the ability to compete and they deserve it. They have really worked hard,” general manager Doug Wilson said. ”We’ve put ourselves in a really good position and you make the determination on this team now with these added ingredients. It feels like they can compete. That’s important in the room.”

Spaling has 7 points in 35 games this year while Polak has 13 points in 55 games.  Polak has proved to be a quality physical defender and more than capable penalty killer. Spaling has played a lot of minutes on the penalty killing unit and the Sharks think they have found a nice addition to their bottom lines.

”Roman, there’s no question what his characteristics are,” Toronto general manager Lou Lamoriello said. ”He’s a man. He’s a player’s player. He competes each and every night. He’s somebody that you go into a foxhole with at any given time…. I just can’t say enough about him.”

Polak and Spaling should welcome the change of scenery, Toronto is tied for the fewest points in the league, while as mentioned San Jose is right in the middle of a tightly contested playoff race.

”It’s always good to play the games that actually mean something,” Polak said. ”If you have games that don’t mean anything, you’re just playing because you’re playing. It’s always good to go to a team that has a good chance in the playoffs so you can play for something and every game means something.”

Torres has not played a game this season for San Jose after being suspended for 41 games for a hit to the head of Jakob Slifverberg of the Ducks in the preseason. Since returning from suspension, he has played for the Sharks’ AHL affiliate.

The Maple Leafs now have 12 picks in the 2016 NHL Draft and 8 in 2017, if they are able to draft well, they won’t be bottom feeders for much longer.