Frank Corrado is getting his chance to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he just had to wait over two months to do it.
The 22-year-old Toronto native practiced on the third pairing with veteran Roman Polak on Saturday and Leafs coach Mike Babcock confirmed that Corrado will make his Leafs debut on Tuesday against Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Corrado was claimed off of waivers from the Vancouver Canucks on October 6, but has not seen game action since the end of his 14-day conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies in early November. It is expected that Corrado will rotate as the sixth defenseman with Martin Marincin.
The week off following a 3-2 shootout victory over New Jersey last Tuesday has provided recuperation time for Toronto’s injured players, but it is uncertain whether winger Joffrey Lupul or goalie James Reimer will be healthy enough to return for the remaining three games of their homestand against Tampa, San Jose and Los Angeles.
Lupul has been out for two weeks with a lingering lower body injury but was on the ice at the MasterCard Center in Etobicoke, ON on Saturday. Reimer re-aggravated a lower body injury in Minnesota on December 3rd and did not practice.
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The conditioning stint of Jonathan Bernier with the Toronto Marlies has turned out well as can be expected. Bernier made 27 saves in a 2-0 Toronto victory over the Utica Comets in Utica on Friday night, giving the Leafs goalie a shutout in all three of his AHL starts.
Richard Panik and Richard Clune scored goals for the Marlies, who lead the AHL with a 19-5-1 record and have won four in a row.
#Bernier pic.twitter.com/0Nsy0j2AUp
— AHL (@TheAHL) December 12, 2015Recently demoted Antoine Bibeau is expected to start for Toronto in Syracuse on Saturday and Bernier will make his final start against the Comets at Ricoh Coliseum before returning to the Leafs early next week. The status of rookie Garret Sparks will depend on Reimer’s availability for Tuesday.
Sunday’s rematch with Utica will likely be the final game for William Nylander and winger Kasperi Kapanen before the pair head to Europe for the upcoming 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship in Helsinki. Nylander and Sweden will face a stiff challenge in Group A that includes both Canada and the United States.
The AHL leading scorer could be paired with younger brother Alexander or Leafs ’15 draft pick Dmytro Timashov.
The 19-year-old Kapanen did not perform up to expectations for Finland in 2015 and is expected to play an important role for the host country, who will be the focal point of many NHL scouts with 2016 top prospects Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi on the squad.
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Not to be forgotten on the Leafs list of prospects is 2013 seventh round pick Andreas Johnson, who is tied for second in Swedish Hockey League scoring with 13 goals and in the top 10 in scoring with 23 points. Johnson was signed to a three-year entry-level deal with Toronto last June after winning the SHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2014 and leading Frolunda in goals in 2015.
The SHL Playoffs last into April and Frolunda (who have former Marlies Spencer Abbott, Ryan Lasch and Tom Nilsson on their roster) are currently atop the league standings, but it is possible that the 21-year-old winger could come to North America as an addition to the Marlies roster for a potential Calder Cup run next spring.
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