The Maple Leafs have recalled forward Carter Ashton from the AHL Toronto Marlies and have demoted center Peter Holland to make room on the 23 man roster.
This will be the third stint for the 22-year-old Ashton after making the team out of training camp. Ashton has primarily been a fourth liner with the Leafs and has just one assist in 18 NHL games, but has been scoring with regularity in the AHL with 10 goals and five assists in 14 games.
Holland's demotion is not due to poor play, but more to do with getting ice time to continue to mature as a professional. The 22-year-old former first rounder of the Anaheim Ducks was effective playing between Joffrey Lupul and Mason Raymond on the Leafs second line, but with the return of Tyler Bozak and the shifting of Nazem Kadri to play with Lupul and Raymond, Holland was being relegated to a fourth line role with Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren.
Holland did not require clearing waivers to be sent down and will likely be the first line center and play a more prominent role with the Marlies.
Another potential wrinkle in Holland being sent down is the conditional draft pick in the deal made with Anaheim on November 16. The conditional pick in the deal is a 2014 3rd rounder but could become a 2nd rounder in either 2014 or 2015 if Holland plays over 25 NHL games. Holland has played 22 games with the Leafs since the trade.
Center Dave Bolland is progressing from the lacerated ankle tendon injury suffered in early November, but will likely not be ready to return to the lineup until after the Olympic break. Trevor Smith has been out three weeks with a broken hand and could be back playing within one to two weeks.
This demotion could mean the double shifting of Bozak and Kadri on a fourth line or playing Ashton up the middle, which might not be a risky proposition based on how few minutes the fourth line plays. It could also mean that Carlyle would experiment playing with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
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