The Toronto Maple Leafs will be playing old teammate Nazem Kadri and hIs Colorado Avalanche team tomorrow night. In this post, I’ll share some of the Maple Leafs’ player moves just before the Avalanche game on Wednesday night.
What’s interesting about the Avalanche is that their great center Nathan MacKinnon will be back on the ice. He had been nursing a lower-body injury. Not that Colorado has needed him, because they put up a 7-1-0 record when he was out (and even averaged 5.4 goals per game).
However, any team would be better with MacKinnon in their lineup. So far this season, he’s totaled one goal and nine assists (for 10 points) in the eight games he’s played. He’ll be a test for the Maple Leafs.
Player Move One: Petr Mrazek Will Start His Rehab Play with the Marlies
Petr Mrazek’s groin injury is sufficiently healed that the organization is planning his return. That return is set to begin with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL before he plays in the net with the big club.
The team’s tentative plan is that Mrazek will play for the Marlies Marlies this weekend. That ice time would give him a chance to get back into some game shape. As of yesterday, he hadn’t played a game in the net for an entire month (his last game action was on October 30).
Player Move Two: Ondrej Kase Will Miss His Third Straight Game
What we know is that Ondrej Kase has an ambiguous “upper-body” injury that will keep him out of the Maple Leafs’ lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Avalanche. However, we’re pretty sure it isn’t related to his past concussion injuries that limited him to playing only three games all last season.
The good news is that Kase skated during Tuesday morning’s practice and told the media after the practice that practice went well. We also know that Kase is scheduled to be on the ice for practice again Wednesday morning. He probably couldn’t do that with concussion symptoms.
Player Move Three: Kirill Semyonov Moves Back Down to the AHL’s Marlies
Today the Maple Leafs tweeted that they had sent Kirill Semyonov back to the AHL.
Although Semyonov had played three games with the Maple Leafs, he hadn’t scored. However, he has put up a goal and eight assists (for nine points) in nine AHL with the Marlies games.
Player Move Four: Joey Anderson Was Recalled By the Maple Leafs
When Semyonov moved down, Joey Anderson moved up. The Maple Leafs recalled Anderson as part of the same move that sent Semyonov down. Anderson has not played in an NHL game this season for the Maple Leafs; however, he did play in one game last season. He’ll make his NHL debut tonight.
The 23-year-old Anderson is a scorer for the Marlies. He’s scored five goals and two assists (for seven points) in 13 AHL games this season.
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