Nikita Soshnikov, in many ways, forced his way back into the NHL thanks to his European Assignment Clause but what’s clear from listening to Lou Lamoriello is that the 24-year-old Russian winger is also back because he’s earned it.



The veteran Toronto Maple Leafs GM walked me through the intriguing process that forced the club to make a decision on him by Tuesday’s deadline in which Soshnikov could have requested a loan back to the KHL had he not been recalled from the AHL.



“He did have a clause and as you said, there are other players in the league that do have clauses and most of the time nobody even knows about them,” Lamoriello told The Athletic. “This was (negotiated) prior to me coming here certainly. But when you have a clause in the contract, that’s the player’s right. He negotiates that, it’s all done in good faith. There shouldn’t be any misunderstanding here with this. The player has done...