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The Toronto Maple Leafs were not doing their best imitation of Ebenezer Scrooge by sending winger Trevor Moore to the American Hockey League on Monday.
The club demoted the 23-year-old winger under 24 hours after registering his first NHL point in a 5-4 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings, after being recalled on an emergency basis after Tyler Ennis suffered a broken ankle on Saturday.
The move is purely temporary, since the Leafs do not play until Friday and can save space under the salary cap by demoting Moore during the break. With 11 forwards on their roster and with Zach Hyman placed on injured reserve, Moore will likely play for the Marlies in their annual Boxing Day game against Belleville at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday and get recalled when Toronto travels to Columbus for the first of back-to-back games on Friday.
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The 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships begin in Vancouver and Victoria, BC on Wednesday and the Leafs will have four prospects taking part; 2018 draft picks Rasmus Sandin (Sweden), Filip Kral (Czech Republic), Pontus Holmberg (Sweden) and 2017 fourth rounder Ian Scott (Canada).
Scott played well in a preliminary game last week against Slovakia, but both he and Michael DiPietro struggled in the final warmup game against Finland, so it is uncertain who will be Canada’s go-to goalie for the tournament.
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Tavares is life, Gardiner brings strife
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