For the latest Leafs updates, Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter The Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Vancouver Canucks in the third of an early January six-game homestand. The club snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday that tied them for second place in the Atlantic Division with Boston, but the Bruins have four games in hand. The Leafs will make only one lineup change on Saturday, as defenseman Travis Dermott will make his NHL debut. The 21-year-old blueliner will be the second of the Leafs 2015 Draft class to play in the NHL, with top pick Mitch Marner being the first. Dermott had an eventful week leading up to his call up on Friday, registering six assists in his first two AHL games after returning from a two-week stint on the injured list, as well being selected to represent the Toronto Marlies in the AHL All-Star game. Head coach Mike Babcock indicated that the Newmarket, ON native will get the nod over rookie Andreas Borgman against the Canucks (which means he will be paired with veteran Roman Polak), but that decision was based more on wanting to see Dermott and not due to any drop in the Swedish rookie’s play. Toronto management may have determined that it was time to give the young defenseman an opportunity to play, with Martin Marincin a known commodity and Nikita Zaitsev a few weeks away from being able to return, but it also helps in gauging the organization’s depth. Dermott is obviously a long-term piece of the puzzle for the Leafs blueline, but with less than two months to go until the NHL Trade Deadline, GM Lou Lamoriello may need to find out if the 21-year-old is ready to step in before exploring options outside the organization.
Incredible breakout by Liljegren (#TMLtalk), fantastic play by Andersson (#NYR) and Karlstrom (#GoStars)! pic.twitter.com/oX4XX1REIW
— Janik Beichler (@JanikBeichler) January 4, 2018