For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter The Toronto Maple Leafs did not make any major moves to add to their defense or size up front, opting instead for a depth move in acquiring forward Nic Petan from the Winnipeg Jets forward Par Lindholm.
The 23-year-old Petan played parts of four years with the Jets, but similar to Justin Holl and former Leaf Josh Leivo, the speedy forward could not be sent down without clearing waivers and was relegated part time duty with Winnipeg, with two assists in 13 games.
Lindholm, 27, was signed as a free agent after scoring 47 points with Skelleftea of the Swedish League last season to fill the fourth line center role, but his offensive numbers did not translate to the NHL with just 12 points (1 goal, 11 assists) in 61 games and head coach Mike Babcock favored the larger Frederik Gauthier up the middle.
Toronto recalled winger Trevor Moore from the AHL Marlies on Monday morning on an emergency basis to take Lindholm's place in the lineup against the Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Arena.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs enter NHL Trade Deadline day with a few irons in the fire, but it is unknown whether GM Kyle Dubas will be able to pull of any deal of significance before 3pm. Over the last few weeks, there were some indications that Toronto had interest in Anaheim defenseman Brandon Montour, to the point that Dubas travelled to Southern California to watch the Ducks during the Leafs recent Western road trip. That interest did not result in the acquisition of a long sought-after right handed defenseman as Anaheim dealt Montour to the Buffalo Sabres (Toronto’s opponent on Monday) for prospect defenseman Brendan Guhle and one of the Sabres three first-round picks. While there is no doubt that the 24-year-old has fallen off slightly after a 32-point campaign last season, Montour fits what the Leafs have been looking for most of the last two years. A right-hand shot, who is under control at a reasonable salary ($3.38 Million) through next season and is a controllable restricted free agent after that.
Dubas arguably paid more for veteran Jake Muzzin, who is signed through next season at a reasonable $4 Million salary and will take the spot vacated on the left side by the likely departure of Jake Gardiner after the season, but does not address the club’s need for upgrading on the right side and has been slotted on the bottom pairing with Travis Dermott to start the last 2 games. The Leafs continue to be connected to veteran defenseman Adam McQuaid, who the Rangers sat for the second straight game on Sunday and are expected to deal for a draft pick before the deadline, but there are indications that they have a number of options that could come to fruition. It appears likely that Dubas will add a depth forward, depth defenseman or both before 3pm, but that the door cannot be completely closed on a more impact move. The club made a couple minor moves on Sunday night, swapping winger Emerson Clark (on an AHL contract) to the Milwaukee Admirals for future considerations and acquiring winger Nick Baptiste from Nashville for futures. The 23-year-old Baptiste played 47 NHL games for Buffalo the last two seasons before being dealt to the Predators last October and was likely acquired to address the Marlies need at forward, with the trade of Carl Grundstrom and the loss of Sam Gagner. *******
Brand new pod as we make our way to the NHL Trade Deadline. Enjoy. #TMLTalk #LeafsForever #HockeyTwitter #TheLeafsConvo @MikeInBuffalo @TheLeafsConvo https://t.co/IaR5tCivvw pic.twitter.com/Et05rx9kbT
— The Leafs Convo (@TheLeafsConvo) February 24, 2019