TORONTO -- Nikita Soshnikov admitted the past two seasons have been difficult for him, dealing with two significant injuries while sliding down the depth chart with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After being traded to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, the 24-year-old forward is excited for a new opportunity.
"When I was hurt again recently, I was saying to myself, 'I've played only three NHL games in the last year,'" Soshnikov said Friday. "It's really hard, and you start getting nervous and getting [angry], but there's nothing you can do about it but keep grinding every day and things will go your way. Right now, it's time to prove something."
The Maple Leafs received a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft in the trade.
"I'm really, really excited. It's a really good organization, it's really classy," Soshnikov said of the Blues. "People called and texted me right away and said they're really happy to have me on board. I'm going to do everything I can for the team."
Soshnikov, who has not played in the NHL since Nov. 24, was on injured reserve with a groin injury he said was initially misdiagnosed. He said it was bothering him prior to playing three games with the Maple Leafs and that he tried to play through it before it got worse.
"It took some time because of that. That's why I was [out] so long," Soshnikov said. "The injury was pretty serious, and especially [a] groin in hockey, it's hard to recover from, but now it's all good."