The St. Louis Blues are trading forward Kyle Clifford to the Toronto Maple Leafs for future considerations.
Welcome back, Cliffy
We’ve acquired forward Kyle Clifford from St. Louis in exchange for future considerations. #LeafsForever
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) November 16, 2021
Kyle Clifford Reunited with Leafs in Trade
Kyle Clifford will be joining the Toronto Maple Leafs for his second stint with the team after a trade from the St. Louis Blues. Clifford was traded to the Maple Leafs originally at the trade deadline in 2020. Now in his second season with Toronto, he will hopefully find more success than the first time around. The best part about this deal for the Leafs is that he was essentially traded for free. All they have to do to acquire him is pay his salary. Clifford carries a cap hit of $1 million.
Clifford’s Impact this Season
Clifford has yet to do much this year for the Blues. He has only suited up for two games this season and put up an assist in one contest. In reality, he has yet to do much of anything that appears on the stat sheet in any of his NHL seasons. He had 21 points in the 2018-19 season but hasn’t come closer than 3 points to that mark since. Clifford has been a bottom-six player throughout his career and that trend should continue in Toronto.
The bottom-six has always been a big concern with the Maple Leafs. They have their big four that run the top two lines with no issue. Grit and grind have been more of a problem for this team in the postseason. They have the top-end talent needed to win in the playoffs but they have not been able to find the right formula. Hopefully, for Toronto’s front office, Clifford can help them find the energy that has been missing from this team.
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