With Matt Murray still injured and Ilya Samsonov missing practice yesterday due to illness, the Maple Leafs needed a second goalie on the active roster. That goaltender is Erik Kallgren as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled him while assigning forward Pontus Holmberg to AHL Toronto in a corresponding move.
Kallgren has split this season between the NHL and AHL and actually has fared better with the Maple Leafs than the Marlies. In 10 NHL contests, the 26-year-old has a 2.67 GAA along with a .898 SV% while in 16 minor league appearances, his GAA jumps to 3.33 while his SV% dips to .884. He’s in the final season of a two-year, two-way contract and will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
Holmberg, meanwhile, has acquitted himself well in his first taste of NHL action this season. He has played in 36 games with the Leafs so far, picking up five goals and eight assists but with yesterday’s additions of Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari, playing time was going to be difficult to come by. He’ll return to the Marlies where he has seven points in 16 games so far.
While unannounced by the team yesterday, veteran Wayne Simmonds was also papered to the minors. But even after that, Toronto is currently over the maximum 23-player roster with Kallgren’s promotion. Teams get two emergency goalie recalls per season that allows them to go over the limit for up to 48 hours and barring another roster move, it appears that’s what they’re going with here.