The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have activated defenseman Morgan Rielly off of injured reserve and assigned defenseman Justin Holl back to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
Rielly’s return should only help the Maple Leafs who have won four straight and five of their last six games. One of the team’s top defensemen, Rielly has missed their winning streak, but should add some leadership and improved offense to the team. The 26-year-old, who had to miss the all-star game after suffering an upper-body injury on Jan. 18, and is still on pace to put up career numbers. He has five goals and 26 assists in 47 games this season.
Holl, who had was an emergency recall on Wednesday after the team placed defenseman Roman Polak on injured reserve, played in two games for Toronto and was quite impressive, providing the team some offense of his own. A former second-round pick in 2010, Holl scored a goal in each of the two games he played for the Maple Leafs. He became the sixth defenseman in the NHL to score goals in his first two NHL games. In fact, his career numbers show he has played in two games, taken two shots and scored two goals. He also has a +5 plus/minus rating. He has four goals and 20 points in 39 games for the Marlies this season. Polack remains on injured reserve.