The Leafs have demoted defenseman TJ Brennan to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. It appears that the club recalled the 24-year-old as a reward for winning AHL Player Of The Week after scoring four goals last weekend in wins over Grand Rapids and Lake Erie and as insurance on the road in case a defenseman fell ill or was injured.
Since the club does not have a great deal of cap room, it appears their strategy will be to carry a bare minimum of players at home with Marlies players being recalled when needed. This strategy may change if the club is able to trade defenseman John-Michael Liles and create some cap space.
The Leafs are practicing Friday morning following their fourth win of the season, a 4-0 shutout of the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.
Veteran Dave Bolland was not on the ice for the morning practice at the Mastercard Center in Etobicoke, ON, but according to the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby, it was simply a maintenance day for the forward and he is not expected to miss the Leafs next game against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night.
Defenseman Cody Franson, who required stitches on his nose after Predators forward Mike Fisher's hit from behind in the third period, was on the ice wearing face protection. Forward Frazer McLaren, who has been out over four weeks with a broken finger is also participating.
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Head Coach Randy Carlyle after practice on Friday:
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The Toronto Marlies have assigned goaltender Christopher Gibson and defenseman Zach Yuen to the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL. The 20-year-old Gibson was signed as a free agent after playing four seasons with Chicoutimi in the QMJHL. The 20-year-old Yuen was drafted by Winnipeg in 2011 but went unsigned and completed four seasons with the WHL's Tri-City Americans. The Leafs gave Yuen a free agent invitation to the Rookie Tournament in London last month and signed him to an AHL contract.
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In his latest blog for ESPN,
Pierre LeBrun reports that LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi is not surprised at all by the early season success of Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier.
"It doesn’t surprise me at all," Lombardi said. "We knew this guy. After the trade, he(Bernier) sent me a text to thank me for trading him. I replied back, 'I just wish I could have been Glen Sather and had Moog and Fuhr but that is impossible today.'"
Lombardi realized that he would not be able to keep both Bernier(his first round pick from 2006) and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Quick due to salary cap restrictions and Bernier’s desire to be more than a backup.
"I don’t think any general manager wants to be in that position where you have to trade a player and he’s a really good player," Lombardi said. “What makes this tough is that it’s procedural, you have to move him, it’s not even a hockey deal, you’re looking for an asset deal."
The Kings GM gives kudos to his Toronto counterpart in recognizing Bernier’s value and being persistent in pursuing a deal that was finally consummated on June 23.
"I give Nonis a lot of credit. A week after he got the job, he was all over Bernier.”
“Dave Nonis was really the only one who was seriously interested in him. Everyone else was just tire kicking. I was shocked at the lack of real interest. He had proven himself again last season. The other reason I think people overlook Bernier is because he is small; they overlook his hockey sense, which is his best asset.”
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