Editor In Leaf
Fansided

Toronto Maple Leafs Make Roster Moves Ahead of Big Game

By James Tanner

Apr 29, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16) skates with the puck against Vancouver Canucks in the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 29, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16) skates with the puck against Vancouver Canucks in the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Toronto Maple Leafs face a big test tonight.

Fresh off a perfect 4-0 road trip, and winners of 14 of their last 16 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs will face the Colorado Avalanche.

As if facing the Avs isn’t hard enough, they will be getting an extra jolt of energy tonight as Nathan MacKinnon returns from the IR, having missed the last eight games with a ___(make up your own injury, since the NHL doesn’t care enough to tell you).

The Avalanche are11-6-1 with 23 points, ten less than the Leafs.

Don’t let the record fool you though, the Avalanche are one of the NHL’s best teams and they’ve (for some reason) played five games less than Toronto has.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Avalanche

The Leafs recalled Michael Hutchinson, according to Sportsnet, because Woll can’t go. No word on what his injury is, but hopefully it won’t matter since Jack Campbell is scheduled to start anyways.

Hutchinson is one of four goalies the Leafs have used so far this year, and he’s been in two games and looked exactly like you’d expect Michael Hutchinson to look.

Additionally, the Leafs placed Kirill Semyonov on waivers so that he can return to the KHL and get some playing time.  Semyonov is definitely capable of playing in the NHL, but the Leafs are incredibly deep and there just isn’t anywhere for him to play.

He’s a defensive specialist, and with Kase, Kampf and Engvall locking down jobs, and with Clifford, Robertson and Mikheyev also around, there’s no path to playing time for him.  Let alone the fact that there is Joey Anderson and Josh Ho-Sang.

Not a huge blow to the Leafs depth or anything, and you can’t blame him for wanting to go home to play, but it’s too bad because he’s a good player.

It appears that Ondrej Kase will miss tonight’s game, which means that Joey Anderson will take his place with Engvall also back on the third line.  This according to dailyfaceoff.com. 

I like this because Engvall did not deserve to lose his job in the top nine, and he was only moved down to try and get Ritchie going.

Next. 5 Trade Assets the Leafs Have to Use. dark

The Toronto Maple Leafs can, with a win tonight, achieve their 5th five-game winning streak of the season. With Washington having an off-day, the Leafs can also take sole possession of first place overall in the NHL with a win.

Go Leafs!

Home/Maple Leafs News