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UPDATE: In the wake of the waiver claim of Curtis McElhinney, the Toronto Maple Leafs have traded goaltender Jhonas Enroth to the Anaheim Ducks for a 2018 seventh round pick.
Enroth made four starts for Toronto, going 0-3-1 with a 3.94 GAA and .872 save percentage before being waived in early December. The 28-year-old veteran was demoted to the AHL after the claim of McElhinney on Tuesday and will join Anaheim's affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have claimed goaltender Curtis McElhinney off of waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 33-year-old played seven games for the Jackets, with a 2-1-2 record, 2.39 GAA and .924 save percentage backing up starter Sergei Bobrovsky.
Head coach John Tortorella soured on McElhinney after allowing three third-period goals in a 5-4 loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday. The Blue Jackets have Anton Forsberg, who won a Calder Cup with Lake Erie last season and Joonas Korpisalo in the pipeline, so McElhinney's expiring contract was expendable.
McElhinney makes $800,000 and is an unrestricted free agent after this season. The Leafs demoted goalie Jhonas Enroth on Tuesday, who will now join Antoine Bibeau and Garret Sparks in the goaltending mix for the AHL Marlies.
The claim is an acknowledgement that head coach Mike Babcock did not have confidence that rookie Antoine Bibeau was not ready for the NHL.
The 22-year-old won AHL Goaltender of the month for October, but struggled with the Toronto Marlies before being recalled. Bibeau was loaned to the Marlies three times since the waiving of Enroth in early December to get some work and his performances have done nothing to inspire any confidence (1-3-0, .902 save percentage).
McElhinney should get into action for his new club immediately, as the Leafs play back-to-back in New York and Ottawa Friday and Saturday.
In other goaltending news, TSN's Darren Dreger furthered reports of a re-injury to goalie Karri Ramo, indicating that the 30-year-old had minor knee surgery at the end of December to remove particles in the knee he had ACL surgery on last year.
Ramo expects to be able to return by February, but the clogged Marlies contingent and McElhinney backing up Frederik Andersen makes the chances of him playing in the organization a long shot.
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Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports that defenseman Martin Marincin (out since early December with a suspected back injury) skated with the Toronto Marlies on Tuesday, as the Leafs are in the midst of their five-day bye week.
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Leafs rookie Auston Matthews was one of eleven players selected to represent the Atlantic Division in the NHL All Star game in Los Angeles on January 29.
The 19-year-old Matthews leads the Leafs with 21 goals and is tied with Winnipeg's Patrik Laine for the NHL rookie scoring lead.
"(Being selected) means a lot. It's a huge honor to be named to (the All-Star game) with some of the best players in the league." Matthews said during a Tuesday conference call. "To be able to represent the Maple Leafs (in Los Angeles) later this month is pretty special."
The Atlantic Division #NHLAllStar roster.
— NHL (@NHL) January 10, 2017
Captain: @CP0031
Complete details: https://t.co/JOaCNcuaJX pic.twitter.com/4W4hGE8HoY
The Atlantic Division is represented by Nikita Kucherov(TB), Brad Marchand(BOS), Frans Nielsen(DET), Kyle Okposo(BUF), Vincent Trocheck(FL), Victor Hedman(TB), Erik Karlsson(OTT), Shea Weber (MTL), Carey Price(MTL) and Tuukka Rask (BOS).
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Listen to the latest edition of the Blue N’ White Tonight podcast, as we discuss the Maple Leafs entering the playoff mix, the expansion draft, some trade rumors and some mid-season grades.
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