The Maple Leafs earning points with James Reimer in goal while Jonathan Bernier is on injured reserve may be food for thought that the Morweena, MB native will be the go-to guy even when Bernier returns to the lineup, but that is not how things are likely to play out.
Reimer has been the better of the Toronto goaltending tandem, with both of the club’s victories, three of the four points earned in overtime or shootout losses and a .913 save percentage(compared to Bernier’s .899), but he has also been the beneficiary of a team playing much better in front of him.
In the seven games that Bernier has started, the Leafs have been outscored 22-7, while with Reimer Toronto has scored 22 goals and allowed 23.
Head coach Mike Babcock intimated after the 3-2 shootout loss to Washington on Saturday that Reimer would continue to get starts as long as he was playing well and earning points, but the Leafs long term priorities are more about finding out whether Bernier is up to the task of being part of the club going forward.
The Leafs failure to activate Bernier off of IR on Sunday may mean he is not ready to be the backup for Reimer in the club’s next game against Dallas on Tuesday, but once healthy it is likely that Babcock will give Bernier the bulk of the starts.
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Leafs forward Daniel Winnik scored the opening goal in the first period on Saturday, but moments later suffered a lower body injury after tangling skates with Capitals winger Justin Williams.
another GIF of Winnik's injury, although not necessarily more helpful pic.twitter.com/UVU4YHze3q
— Stephanie (@myregularface) November 8, 2015The injury appeared to be serious and the veteran winger was helped from the ice and did not return to the game, but Babcock indicated following the game that the injury was not as bad as first thought. Depending on the length of the injury, the Leafs may need to recall Rich Clune or Mark Arcobello to take Winnik’s place in the lineup.
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The speculation of whether the Leafs will call up top prospect William Nylander continues to percolate as the 19-year-old’s scoring totals increase, but in spite of the young Swede being among the AHL scoring leaders, Sportsnet’s Damien Cox reports that Toronto has no plans to bring the 2014 first rounder to the NHL this season.
Nylander scored his club-leading seventh goal of the season and an assist in the Toronto Marlies 6-1 victory over Binghamton on Saturday and leads the club with 14 points, but in spite of his success, the Leafs are not looking to bring the young center or any of their other prospects to the NHL while the club is in transition.
Toronto is likely not to change their stance even when they start moving short-term contracts off the NHL roster later in the season. Instead of young players being promoted, more experienced AHLers like Josh Leivo and Sam Carrick or former NHLers like Matt Frattin, Mark Arcobello, Richard Panik and Andrew Campbell will get the call.
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Prospect Update
Leafs defensive prospect Andrew Nielsen had a three-point weekend (1 goal, 2 assists) for Lethbridge in wins over Seattle and Kootenay. The 2015 3rd rounder (65th overall) has nearly surpassed his 2014-15 offensive totals in just 17 games this season, with seven goals and 13 assists.
Nielsen trails only overagers Travis Sanheim(2014 1st round pick of Philadelphia) & Team Canada World Junior alum Joe Hicketts in WHL defensive scoring and leads his club with 40 penalty minutes.
2015 top pick Mitch Marner registered five assists and fellow Leafs prospect JJ Piccinich added three helpers for the London Knights in a 9-2 victory over Guelph on Friday.
2015 fifth rounder Dmytro Timashov was the scoring star for the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts in a 10-6 victory over Cape Breton on Sunday, with two goals and three assists. The 19-year-old forward is sixth in league scoring with 35 points (10 G, 25 A) and is a candidate to make Team Sweden for the upcoming World Junior Tournament in Helsinki next month.
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