Nicholas Baptiste is on the move again. After being dealt to Nashville at the end of the preseason, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that he has once again been dealt, this time to Toronto. The Predators’ announcement of the move indicates that the deal is for future considerations. In a related move, the Toronto Marlies announced (via Twitter) that they have dealt ECHL winger Emerson Clark to Milwaukee (Nashville’s AHL affiliate) for future considerations.
The 23-year-old cleared waivers back in training camp and has spent the entire season at the AHL level following the move to the Predators. In 50 games with Milwaukee, he has ten goals and ten assists.
Baptiste did spend nearly half of 2017-18 in the NHL with Buffalo where he played on their fourth line, collecting four goals and two assists in 33 games while averaging just shy of ten minutes a game. That was enough to earn him a qualifying offer of just over $787K which he accepted back in mid-July. However, given Toronto’s depth, it’s unlikely that he’ll return to the NHL this season. Instead, he’ll serve as some extra insurance for the Marlies as they continue to battle for a playoff spot in the tight North Division.