Toronto Maple Leafs: Dermott and Gauthier Recalled

With just one day remaining in their bye week, the Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled both Frederik Gauthier and Travis Dermott from the Toronto Marlies.

The move came as expected, with Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello previously stating his intention to recall the pair of prospects at bye week’s end.

It’s become customary for teams to send down their waiver exempt players during the CBA-mandated break. Such a move provides them with the opportunity to experience tangible game action without losing any previously built momentum.

Such was the case for Dermott and Gauthier.

Both players participated in the Marlies weekend series with the Charlotte Checkers. And now back with the big club, how they will factor into the Leafs lineup moving forward remains to be seen.

Toronto’s next game is a January 16th tilt with the St. Louis Blues.

What Now?

It’s been well publicized now that Dermott will now be occupying a rotational role on the blueline, alongside teammates Andreas Borgman and Connor Carrick.

Considering he sat out the Leafs last game, it appears likely that Dermott will slot into the lineup against St. Louis. Although, with Mike Babcock ultimately making the call, you never really know what to expect.

During his most recent AHL stint, Dermott continued his dominant play. By registering an assist and providing the team with an elite puck-moving ability, he factored heavily into a pair of Marlies victories.

With Dermott in the lineup, the Marlies are immediately elevated from simply “great”, to “slam dunk contender”. They will surely miss his presence.

Which begs the question; is this what’s best for him?

The case could be made that the best thing for Dermott’s development is to log 20+ minutes a night for the Marlies, rather than sit out 1/3 of the Leafs games. If the big club won’t use him to his full capacity, what’s the point of him being up at all?

Unfortunately, I don’t possess the answers to those type of questions. Apparently, one scout said that Dermott, despite his fantastic play, was scratched to “keep him hungry”.

That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever read.

Regardless, he’s back and will continue to play in the NHL, albeit sparingly, until further notice.

As for Gauthier, it’s safe to assume his spot in the lineup is locked down. Babcock seems to have completely lost faith in Dominic Moore while fancying Gauthier’s size and face-off winning ability instead.

All we can do now is tune in on Tuesday to find out how all the lineup drama plays out.