The Toronto Maple Leafs embark on the stretch run on Monday against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena, and it appears that they will have both defenseman Jake Muzzin and forward Trevor Moore available to them.
Muzzin suffered a foot injury in late December, while Moore suffered a concussion in mid-November and played one game on December 21 before going back on injured reserve and missing another month. Both played for the Toronto Marlies against Cleveland on a conditioning stint Friday, with Moore scoring a goal and Muzzin registering three shots on goal in a 5-2 loss to the Monsters.
With the Leafs on the road, the return of Muzzin gives them an extra defenseman, which means that either rookie Rasmus Sandin or Martin Marincin will be a healthy scratch. If Sandin plays, it would be his 10th regular season game and would kick in the first year of his entry-level contract.
The Leafs reportedly are not concerned about burning the first year of his ELC, but may sit him a few games down the road to avoid him playing more than 40 games and starting the clock on the seven years towards unrestricted free agency.
Leafs leading scorer Auston Matthews indicated in St. Louis over the weekend that he expects to return from the nagging wrist injury that prevented him from playing in the All-Star Game, but since they only have 12 forwards on the roster, the club recalled forward Tyler Gaudet from the Marlies on Sunday.
Gaudet, 26, previously played 20 NHL games with Arizona from 2014 to 2017 and has 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists) in 39 AHL games this season.
*******
The American Hockey League All-Star festivities begin on Sunday in Ontario, CA and it was announced that Marlies forward Jeremy Bracco and defenseman Timothy Liljegren have been named to the North Division All-Star team to join teammate Kasimir Kaskisuo.
Bracco, 22, led the Marlies and finished second in AHL scoring with 79 points last season and has 33 points (4 goals, 29 assists) in 42 games this season. Liljegren, 20, who made his NHL debut vs. Chicago on January 18, has 26 points (4 goals, 22 assists) in 35 games with the Marlies this season.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.*******
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»