Sosh. Little Komarov. Or as I like to call him – Nik Flair.

Nikita Soshnikov electrified Leafs fans down the stretch with goals, boisterous celebrations, and a style that drove the opposition nuts. It was a welcomed sight for a fan base cheering for a 30th-place team in a rebuild.

That was on the Leafs. Now, Soshnikov and his Marlies teammates are in playoff-mode for the Calder Cup playoffs. I’ve been tweeting about that a lot recently and many Leafs fans seemed confused when I mentioned that Soshnikov was on the Marlies’ fourth line with Richard Clune and Frederik Gauthier.

I received a lot of questions. “Is he still injured?” “Was he demoted?” “Are the Marlies just that deep?”

All good questions, so let’s ask them. Here is what the Marlies had to say about Soshnikov, his style, deployment, linemates, and more.

First, is Soshnikov still hurt? Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe said no.

“He’s 100 per cent. He feels really good, he in fact wanted to play last week but we held him out to give him more time just to be sure. He feels really good, really strong. We’ve looked on video – he’s had some really hard contacts that he’s come out with and doesn’t look to be phased at all. He feels good now it’s just more about getting his game back and feeling good in game situations.”

Now that that’s out of the way, why does Soshnikov play on the Marlies’ fourth line?

Keefe isn’t a big fan of naming lines “one” or “four” but that is how Soshnikov, as well as Clune and Gauthier, appear on the lineup sheets that the Marlies hand out in the press box before games. Soshnikov is used both on the penalty kill and power play, and Keefe is able to give him ice time in more ways than five-on-five.

So why does Keefe use Soshnikov this way? He believes it’s because Soshnikov is good at generating offence on his own.

“I think he’s a unique player in that he’s not necessarily a guy that needs other guys to get him the puck. He gets the puck a lot, and when he does, he generates such speed that he’s able to get the puck through the neutral zone quickly, he’s able to get an entry in the offensive zone quickly. Even if he ends up having to put it in and forecheck it, he can be on top of it first,” said Keefe. “I think that’s why he’s a good fit with the Gauthier-Clune line, because he can do a lot of that work in terms of bringing the puck up the rink for them. At the same time, because he’s on the puck and he generates shots, he generates opportunities for other people around the net, too.

“He’s a good fit that way but I definitely think he’s a guy that does not need to play with the best players to be effective. That’s important for us with the type of lineup that was have because not everybody’s like that.”

As for the Komarov comparison’s, Keefe sees similarities in their games beyond their ability to drive opponents nuts.

“Komarov is a guy that’s ultra-competitive, versatile, through his career has played up and down in the lineup, so I think there’s a lot of similarities there. Because of that, I think it allows Sosh to be comfortable where he is and just play.

“He doesn’t get too excited about having to play with better players or see his name higher up in the lineup. He just goes out and plays and performs.”

One thing I’ve been asked, and admittedly I’ve wondered myself, is why wouldn’t Keefe keep Soshnikov with a guy like William Nylander consistently? Yes, Soshnikov is versatile, but the allure of having Soshnikov’s talents on a line with Nylander’s is enticing. As Keefe explained, the decision wasn’t just his own.

“I know there’s been times we’ve played him up with Nylander early in the season and I talked to him and he just says ‘I think I like the Goat, I think I like the Goat just fine,’ ” said Keefe, referring to Gauthier.

Speaking of the Goat, Gauthier commented on Soshnikov’s journey to learn English.

“It’s pretty good. I think he’s way better than he was at the beginning of the season. Neither of us use English as our first language but you find ways to communicate. Just simple words. We don’t talk for an hour but when we talk we know what we’re trying to say and we understand each other.”

As for Soshnikov’s preferred method of chirping…

“The Russian screaming is still dominant there,” said Gauthier. “Even on the bench when he’s talking to himself sometimes it’s in Russian. We don’t really know what’s going on there. He still talks Russian, chirps guys in Russian. But some English chirps are coming out more and more.”

I tried to speak to Soshnikov about his linemates, but even with Rinat Valiev translating for him, it’s still a bit of a struggle. His teammates said his English has come a long way in six months, and Rich Clune said he’s going to English lessons every week.

I asked Soshnikov if he felt safe out there with a guy like Clune on his line.

“Yeah,” he said with a smirk, and without Valiev’s help. “Yeah I do.”

Clune, who has 24 points in 49 games with the Marlies this season, had some insight of his own on their line and how it applies to Mike Babcock’s system, as well.

“I think Sosh has the most success when he has the puck on his stick. If you maybe play him with other guys like Nylander and Arcobello, they’re sort of similar. They like the puck on their stick a lot, so it wouldn’t make much sense to have a guy that really relishes with the puck on his stick in a shooting role if he’s not getting the puck a lot,” said Clune. “I think with Freddy the Goat and myself, I think sometimes we do tend to over-pass to him and that’s something that we need to get better at but we’re looking to get the puck in his hands and kind of drive lanes and make room for him.

“That’s kind of a staple of Babcock’s system. If you watched traditionally through his Red Wings lineups and just listen to him speak, he talks a lot about keeping pairs together. He kind of would have a really high-end skill guy with two hard-working, grinding-type players that can work hard and get them the puck.”

As for Clune protecting Soshnikov when the 22-year-old Russian plays his antagonizing style, Clune says he can protect himself.

“No, no. He’s good, man. I love the way he plays. I think in the playoffs, with myself and him, we’re going to hopefully draw a lot of penalties and get under the other team’s skin. Certainly if anyone thought about trying to take any liberties with him – I’m not trying to pump my own tires but I think I did a pretty good job of keeping the Russian tank safe this year. But he’s good, man. He’s tough, he’s strong, too. He’s 190 pounds so he’s a strong boy for his age.”

While Soshnikov’s English has improved in leaps and bounds, Clune’s Russian isn’t coming along quite as well.

“He’s taught me a few words. I can’t say them though because they’re bad. You’ll have to ask him. I know a few good words that if we play any Russian kids I can use it. I have a lot of respect for Russian people and the Russian culture. They’re strong people, they’re strong-willed, strong-minded people. They spot bulls— a mile away. I like them.”

Hopefully that shed some light on Soshnikov, his linemates, and how he is used on the Marlies. I’m going to be covering the Marlies all playoffs long so if there are any other stories like this you want me to pursue, just let me know.