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Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas appears to be laying the groundwork for some minor roster tweaks with injured players returning over the next few weeks. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last week that Toronto was shopping winger Nic Petan.
Petan, 24, was acquired from Winnipeg for Par Lindholm on February 25 and has played only nine games for the Leafs, mostly because he is a smaller skilled player who does not fit head coach Mike Babcock’s job description of a fourth line forward.
The Delta, B.C. native signed a two-year, $1.55 Million contract after the trade and cleared waivers before the start of the regular season, but was recalled soon after. If the Leafs sent Petan down to the AHL, none of his $775,000 AAV would count against the salary cap, but dealing him would open up a space under the league’s 50 pro contract limit and give him an opportunity to play regularly with another club.
In this week’s “31 Thoughts…, Friedman indicated that the Leafs may move on from much-criticized blueliner Martin Marincin, depending on the severity of the injury to defenseman Jake Muzzin.
Marincin has long been a favorite of Babcock and was re-signed to a one-year, $700,000 deal in the off-season, but the Leafs have opted to play 19-year-old rookie Rasmus Sandin, Justin Holl and recently recalled Kevin Gravel to fill in on the bottom pairing until Travis Dermott returned to the lineup this week.
Muzzin did not practice on Wednesday and there has been no update of his status since his departure in the first period of a 4-3 overtime loss to Washington on Tuesday.
If Dubas is willing to deal Marincin, that should be considered an indicator that Babcock is pleased with the progress of Holl as a bottom-pairing partner for Dermott and in Gravel as a potential replacement in case of injury. *******
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— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) October 27, 2019
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