The Toronto Maple Leafs will resume their six-game road swing with the first of back-to-back games against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday night. After a run of seven straight wins from late October to late November, the Leafs have lost three of the last four games, including a 5-4 overtime loss to Colorado on Saturday.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated on Monday that forwards Mitch Marner and Pierre Engvall were still in COVID protocol, but the club hopes to get winger Ondrej Kase back in the lineup.
Kase, who missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, skated on the top line with Michael Bunting and Auston Matthews at practice, allowing Alex Kerfoot to return to his normal spot with John Tavares and William Nylander, and Ilya Mikheyev to return to the checking line with David Kampf and Wayne Simmonds, but his status is still a game-time decision.
"When you're missing guys, it changes things dramatically and when you get a guy back, it's going to give you that additional depth and those options." Keefe said. "When he's in the lineup for us, were a much deeper team in all regards. (He's) another guy that we trust playing against anybody, and that can play on any line, plays on the power play, in the penalty kill, plays late in games. All those things. It makes a big difference to our team. When he's in there and certainly when we've played without him, we've we felt his absence."
Jack Campbell will make his fifth straight start after an excellent 44-save outing in the loss to Colorado, with Petr Mrazek likely making his first start in over a month vs. Arizona on Wednesday.
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The last 48 hours could be categorized as Kane-mania, as reportedly a number of teams are said to be pursuing unrestricted free agent Evander Kane. TSN’s Gord Miller indicated that the 30-year-old former Shark will have a contract by the end of the week.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun indicates that agent Dan Milstein says Kane is looking for a one-year deal for the rest of the season. and others say that he is looking to play for a Stanley Cup contender.
Opinions seem to differ as to whether Toronto is or should be interested in the troubled winger. Sun Media’s Michael Traikos says that based on the need to get past the first round of the playoffs, that Toronto might be willing to take a chance on Kane and the possibility of playing with
Auston Matthews or John Tavares might be attractive.
The Star’s Kevin McGran says to not expect the Leafs to get in on Kane, even though they sent scouts to check him out during his AHL stint last month.
Kane’s past indiscretions should be big warning signs to any team, but he is basically a free roll of the dice. Wherever he signs, he will be on a short leash and one problem will see his contract terminated for a second time this season, but the potential of being a difference-maker is what is luring teams like New York, Tampa, Florida, Vegas, and Carolina (not Edmonton, because who thinks they are a contender). Toronto should be willing to take that chance as well.
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