Toronto Maple Leafs: The Jeremy Bracco Conspiracy Theory

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t called up Jeremy Bracco this season and a leave has kept him away from the rink. We explore the mystery behind it.

There’s something going on with Jeremy Bracco and people are asking questions. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect has finally returned back to the Toronto Marlies after a lengthy absence for personal reasons.

The team is happy to have a skilled player back as they fight for a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs. Bracco’s long absence may have affects on his play but in the immediate aftermath of his return, the talk is all on where he’s been.

Bracco was out of the lineup for 28 days from Feb 5 – Mar 6. In that time he missed a total of 13 games. The Marlies haven’t been great over that stretch. They won six, lost seven and allowed seven more goals than they scored.

On Friday, Bracco returned to the Marlies and was in the building for the game but he did not play. The Marlies managed to find success without him on the night, beating the Syracuse on the road 5-2.

Where Was Bracco?

Conspiracy theorists have come out of the woodwork much in the same way they did to spread ideas about George Parros. This time, the internet is filled with speculations on the young winger’s whereabouts during his personal leave of absence.

Since Bracco had reportedly requested a trade ahead of the NHL trade deadline, there were theories that he was being hidden until Kyle Dubas could package him in a deal.

Once the Feb 24 deadline passed and Bracco remained on leave, the chatter died down on that possibility.

With the news that the absence is now over, attention has shifted to new fan theories, some too insidious to mention.

There is no evidence that any of them are true, and there are many other possibilities that don’t include besmirching the player’s reputation. It’s a dangerous game to make baseless suggestions online. If Bracco wanted it known why he was away from the game he and the team would have made it public.

Hockey players often take time away from their teams. There could be myriad reasons as to why he needed the time including taking care of a loved one, the birth of a child, or something tragic.

Players deserve to be able to make the decision whether they’d like personal information shared. Wherever Bracco was, all that matters is that he is healthy and in a good enough place to return to work and play the game he loves.

In 44 games this season, Bracco has recorded four goals and 30 assists for a total of 34 points, which sounds worse than it is because the team’s on-ice shooting percentage with Bracco has been very low.

Hopefully, Bracco is able to return to action for Saturday’s home game at the Coca-Cola Coliseum when the Crunch get a rematch.