Maple Leafs forward Richard Panik skated with his new teammates for the first time at the club’s practice facility in Etobicoke, ON on Friday and may not have to wait long before stepping into the lineup.
“We’re just trying to utilize a player that has historically been able to provide skill.… Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said of the 23-year-old Slovakian winger claimed off waivers Tampa Bay. “I don’t have that much exposure to him other than when he played for Norfolk against the Marlies(in the Calder Cup Final two years ago). He was a force to deal with at that level and obviously we felt that he could come in and make a contribution to our group.…
Panik wearing #18 took the place of winger Matt Frattin on the fourth line with center Peter Holland and winger Daniel Winnik at the Mastercard Center on Friday and will be a game time decision for the Leafs Saturday night match with Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Frattin was a non-factor in the season opening 4-3 loss to Montreal on Wednesday, playing a club-low 9:11 and registering no shots on goal. The 26-year-old has been less than stellar throughout training camp and has not been the same player since experiencing knee difficulties early in the lockout shortened 2013 season.
The University of North Dakota product scored 24 goals in 36 regular season and playoff games with the Marlies in 2011-12 but injured his knee on the Western Conference Final-clinching goal against Oklahoma City. After off-season surgery, Frattin returned and scored nine goals with the AHL affiliate and seven goals in his first 10 games with the Leafs before having a second knee surgery in February 2013. In the 66 regular season and playoffs games played with Toronto, Los Angeles and Columbus since returning from the second surgery, Frattin has just two goals.
Injured defenseman Cody Franson skated on Friday and indicated that the bruised knee that kept him out of Wednesday’s season opener was improved to the point that it will be a game-time decision for Pittsburgh.
Rookie defenseman Stuart Percy filled in admirably against the Habs, playing over 20 minutes and registering his first NHL assist. Percy would likely be the odd man out if Franson is cleared to play on Saturday.
News And Notes
Former Leafs and Calgary natives Mason Raymond and Joe Colborne had a pretty good night in the first Battle of Alberta Thursday night in Edmonton. The speedy winger scored a hat trick in a 5-2 victory over the Oilers in his second game for his hometown club. Raymond signed a three-year, $9 Million deal with the Flames in July following a solid 19-goal campaign with Toronto last season.
The 24-year-old Colborne failed to crack the Leafs for two seasons following the 2011 deal with Boston for Tomas Kaberle and was traded to Calgary for a 2014 fourth round pick in September 2013. The lanky center scored 10 goals and 18 assists in 80 games in 2013-14 and leads Calgary with four assists after two games.
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The Leafs quest for right handed shooting defenseman last summer led to the Carl Gunnarsson-Roman Polak trade on the second day of the NHL Draft in Philadelphia and the signing of 37-year-old veteran Stephane Robidas, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Toronto nearly landed former Penguins blueliner Deryk Engelland.
In this week’s “30 Thoughts… column, Friedman relays Engelland comments to Sportsnet’s Cassie Campbell-Pascall that the Leafs and Arizona Coyotes were also bidding for the 32-year-old defenseman.
Engelland, an Alberta native who has 13 goals and 34 assists in 244 career games with Pittsburgh, signed a three-year, $8.75 Million deal with Calgary.
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Listen to my Thursday morning interview with former Leafs assistant GM Bill Watters, as we discuss the Leafs opening loss to Montreal and the outlook for the upcoming season.
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