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Dakota Mermis

Minor Transactions: 4/13/25

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As is often the case at this time of year, there has been an influx of minor roster moves.  Teams are shutting players down for the season or trying to give someone a game off with the playoffs approaching, leading to a busier shuffle between the NHL and AHL than usual.  Here’s a rundown of today’s moves:

  • The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Dakota Mermis from AHL Toronto on an emergency basis. On Saturday, the Maple Leafs played short one defenseman, qualifying them for a cap-free emergency recall.  It’s the second promotion for Mermis since he rejoined Toronto following his waiver claim from Utah back in February.  Mermis has played in 32 games for the Marlies this season, notching seven assists.
  • The Jets announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Dominic Toninato from AHL Manitoba. He’s taking the place of Nikolaj Ehlers on the roster after he exited Saturday’s game following a collision with a linesman.  Toninato has been held off the scoresheet in four games with Winnipeg while adding 18 goals and 18 assists in 60 appearances with the Moose.
  • The Kraken have returned forward Ryan Winterton to AHL Coachella Valley, per a team announcement (Twitter link). The 21-year-old picked up an assist in a dozen games with Seattle and will now return to the Firebirds to get ready for their playoff run.  Winterton has 18 goals and 19 assists in 55 AHL contests this season.
  • After making his season debut yesterday, Wild defenseman Cameron Crotty is heading back to the minors, per a team announcement (Twitter link). He’ll be ceding his roster spot to Zeev Buium who inked his entry-level deal earlier today.  Crotty now has two career NHL appearances under his belt while he has chipped in with 10 assists in 62 outings with Iowa.
  • The Islanders have sent goaltender Tristan Lennox back to AHL Bridgeport, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). The 22-year-old had a short-lived NHL debut back on Tuesday, allowing one goal on two shots in a little under five minutes of action.  Lennox has been limited to just four minor league appearances this season due to injury, posting a 4.44 GAA and a .832 SV% with Bridgeport.  He was no longer needed with the Isles with Ilya Sorokin returning today.
  • One player who won’t be on the NHL-AHL shuffle for a little while longer is Calgary prospect Henry Mews. The defenseman announced (Twitter link) that he’ll play for the University of Michigan next season.  Mews was a third-round pick by the Flames last June, going 74th overall.  He had a strong year offensively in the OHL, tallying 82 points in 68 games between Ottawa and Sudbury but instead of staying in junior, he’ll test himself at the college level next season.

Maple Leafs Recall Dakota Mermis, Likely To Activate Calle Järnkrok

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The Maple Leafs announced they’ve recalled defenseman Dakota Mermis from AHL Toronto. Fellow D-man Marshall Rifai is headed back to the minors in a corresponding move, and PuckPedia reports forward Alex Steeves was also returned to the AHL yesterday. The moves leave them with an open roster spot and just enough cap space to activate forward Calle Järnkrok from long-term injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Sharks, as Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reported Sunday.

Järnkrok, 33, has yet to play this season after a lingering lower-body injury resulted in him undergoing groin and sports hernia surgery in mid-November. He was listed as month-to-month, and he only returned to practice as a full participant yesterday.

Signed to a four-year, $8.4MM contract in the 2022 offseason, the versatile Swede has been a decent middle-six piece for the Leafs when healthy. He missed seven games with a previous groin issue in 2022-23 and missed 30 games last year with separate knuckle and hand fractures.

When dressed, he’s produced at a 20-goal, 39-point full-season pace with a +25 rating over 125 appearances. He’s averaged just south of 15 minutes per game and can easily flex between both wings and center, winning 47.3% of his draws since arriving in Toronto. He’s seen consistent penalty-kill usage for the Leafs and fringe power-play usage, occasionally getting looks in the top six. That could be an option down the stretch with a revolving door of second-line left wingers for William Nylander and John Tavares not providing much stability, but for now, he’ll presumably have his minutes limited in a fourth-line role as he gets back up to speed.

Mermis has been added to the Maple Leafs organization twice since the summer, first signing in free agency and then being claimed off waivers in January. Yet his lone NHL appearance this season came with Utah, which selected him off waivers from Toronto in mid-December before losing him back to the Leafs on the wire. Toronto was the only team to submit a claim for Mermis at that time, so he’s been able to suit up for the farm club over the past couple of months without needing to pass through them again.

The 31-year-old was expected to compete for a roster spot as an extra out of camp after appearing in a career-high 47 games with the Wild in 2023-24. A broken jaw sustained during the preseason sidelined him until late November, though. He got some AHL action on a conditioning stint but was claimed by Utah when the Leafs attempted to convert his minor-league assignment into a permanent one.

Mermis is now on his fifth NHL organization after previous stints with the Coyotes, Devils, and Wild. The 6’0″ lefty is a viable puck-mover but has always been more of a defensive option, never topping 26 points in an AHL season. He has six assists and a plus-four rating in 20 showings with the Marlies this year. His defensive metrics in bottom-pairing minutes in Minnesota last year were fine – a 49.5 CF% at even strength with a +0.1 relative impact, plus a 47.9% expected goals share.

He’ll now serve as the Leafs’ extra D for the time being with Chris Tanev on injured reserve as Toronto looks to rotate him and Rifai on the roster to avoid either needing to pass through waivers anytime soon. Rifai cleared at the beginning of the season and has been summoned on a few occasions this season to serve as an extra when injuries strike the Leafs’ defense corps, although he’s yet to appear in a game after making his NHL debut in 2023-24. He’s been on Toronto’s active roster for less than 30 days cumulatively since last clearing waivers, so he doesn’t need them for today’s demotion. The 26-year-old stay-at-home lefty has 3-6–9 with 57 PIMs and a plus-seven rating in 44 games this season.

Steeves has been on the Leafs’ roster since the end of the 4 Nations break, marking his most extended NHL trial to date. The 25-year-old winger appeared in three straight contests for Toronto out of the gate, including a two-point effort against the Hurricanes on Feb. 22, but has now been a healthy scratch in two straight wins. Those two points stand as his only offensive output across seven NHL contests this season and his first since recording an assist against the Blackhawks in December 2021. He remains an extremely valuable minor-league presence, torching the AHL with 29-17–46 through 40 games.

Maple Leafs Recall Dakota Mermis, Assign Fraser Minten To AHL

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced a pair of moves recalling defenseman Dakota Mermis from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL while also sending forward Fraser Minten back to the Marlies. The move likely comes as a response to Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s lower-body injury that he suffered at some point in Saturday night’s game against Edmonton. Ekman-Larsson has been listed as day-to-day and the Maple Leafs are expected to provide an update on him tomorrow.

Mermis was plucked off waivers from Utah last month after he was waived by Toronto back in December and claimed by Utah. The 31-year-old has dressed in just one NHL game this season (with Utah) and hasn’t seen much AHL action either, suiting up for just a dozen AHL games and posting three assists with the Marlies.

For the 20-year-old Minten, his demotion likely means an opportunity to play bigger minutes which should aid in his development. The Maple Leafs’ second-round pick in 2022 (38th overall) has played 15 NHL games this season, tallying two goals and two assists while averaging just over 12 minutes a night of ice time. In the AHL, Minten has had an opportunity to play more of an offensive role and his numbers reflect that as he has five goals and five assists in 16 games with the Marlies.

Given Toronto’s roster moves today it seems likely that defenseman Philippe Myers could be inserted into the lineup for tomorrow night’s game against the Calgary Flames. Myers last played on Wednesday night against the Minnesota Wild.

Maple Leafs Reclaim Dakota Mermis Off Waivers From Utah

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Jan. 3: The Maple Leafs reclaimed Mermis off waivers from Utah on Friday, PuckPedia reports. The team later announced that he’s been reassigned to the AHL, indicating they were the only team to submit a claim.

Jan. 2: The Utah Hockey Club placed defenseman Dakota Mermis on waivers on Thursday with intent to assign him to AHL Tucson, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

The placement could spell the end of Mermis’ brief tenure in the Beehive State. The club claimed him off waivers from the Maple Leafs on Dec. 12 when Toronto was attempting to sneak him to their AHL affiliate on a permanent assignment after a weeks-long conditioning stint.

Mermis, 30, ended up playing just one game for Utah, logging a -2 rating in 10:47 of ice time against the Ducks on Dec. 22. He was a healthy scratch on eight other occasions before landing on the waiver wire today.

When they claimed Mermis, Utah needed some veteran help to offset injuries to Robert Bortuzzo and Maveric Lamoureux on the back end, in addition to previous IR placements for Sean Durzi and John Marino. With Bortuzzo set to return tonight against the Flames after missing nearly a month with a lower-body injury, though, Mermis’ services as a healthy extra were no longer needed.

Bortuzzo was on IR, so Utah needs to open up a roster spot for his return. Mermis can’t clear the roster until tomorrow, so they’ll likely place netminder Connor Ingram, who’s been out since Nov. 18 with an upper-body injury, on IR retroactively to accommodate Bortuzzo’s activation.

Mermis inked a one-year, one-way deal with the Leafs in free agency but never suited up for them thanks to a jaw injury he sustained in training camp. If Toronto wants him back and is the only team to submit a claim, they may send him directly to the AHL without placing him on waivers again.

Now in his eighth NHL season, Mermis has accumulated 12 points and a +3 rating in 75 career games. A career-high 47 of those appearances came last season with the Wild, just the second time in his career he logged double-digit games and mostly avoided AHL assignments.

Utah Claims Dakota Mermis Off Waivers From Maple Leafs

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The Utah Hockey Club has added some veteran defensive depth in the form of Dakota Mermis, plucking him off the waiver wire from the Maple Leafs, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Leafs’ other waiver placement yesterday, winger Alexander Nylander, passed through unclaimed and was immediately assigned to AHL Toronto, allowing them to activate defenseman Jake McCabe from injured reserve, according to a team announcement.

Utah has been in need of extra bodies on defense seemingly all season long after John Marino sustained a lower-back injury in preseason and Sean Durzi hurt his shoulder just four games into the campaign. Other names, such as Maveric Lamoureux and Robert Bortuzzo, have landed on the shelf in recent days, leading Utah to reach deep into its minor-league depth. Just yesterday, they recalled Kevin Connauton from AHL Tucson – a 34-year-old lefty who last saw NHL ice in the 2021-22 campaign.

Mermis isn’t a gigantic upgrade over internal options like Connauton, but he does have more recent NHL experience. The 30-year-old skated in a career-high 47 games with the Wild last season, posting eight points, a -2 rating, 33 PIMs, and 45 hits while averaging 14:05 per game. He inked a one-way contract with the Maple Leafs over the summer but sustained a jaw injury in training camp. He returned to action on a conditioning loan with their AHL affiliate over the past couple weeks, posting an assist in three outings, and had landed on waivers to continue his tenure in the minors after the two-week limit on his conditioning stint ran out.

Utah had 22 players on the active roster before making the claim for Mermis, so they won’t need to make a corresponding transaction.

Maple Leafs Place Dakota Mermis, Alexander Nylander On Waivers

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The Maple Leafs placed defenseman Dakota Mermis and winger Alexander Nylander on waivers Wednesday for assignment to AHL Toronto, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Mermis’ waiver placement comes after being presumably activated from long-term injured reserve. The 30-year-old lefty has been on a conditioning loan to the AHL since Nov. 27 and has played three games, notching an assist and a +2 rating.

Those games were his first action since sustaining a broken jaw early in training camp with the Leafs. The longtime depth piece for the Coyotes, Devils, and Wild underwent surgery on Sep. 26 and has provided a small amount of cap relief for Toronto since landing on LTIR at the beginning of the regular season.

Mermis landing on waivers removes his $775K cap hit from the Maple Leafs’ LTIR pool, bringing down their current cap space to $765K. That can increase back to the $1MM range tomorrow after Nylander clears waivers or is claimed by another team.

Mermis, an Illinois native, played in a career-high 47 NHL contests with Minnesota last season, posting eight points and a -2 rating while averaging 14:05 per game. He parlayed that performance into the first one-way contract of his career, albeit a league-minimum one, with Toronto on the open market over the summer.

Save for additional injuries on Toronto’s back end, though, his jaw injury likely cost Mermis a chance at NHL ice in a Leafs organization that shored up their defensive depth in a big way over the offseason. Assuming he clears waivers, he’ll likely spend most of the season in the AHL, where he’s played 434 of his 513 professional games.

Meanwhile, Nylander hits the wire after having his AHL contract torn up and replaced by an NHL commitment on Nov. 22. The 26-year-old got the summons from the minors amid a rash of forward injuries for the Maple Leafs that’s largely cleared up with Auston Matthews, Max Domi, Matthew Knies, and Max Pacioretty all returning from injuries in the past week or so.

The younger brother of Toronto star William Nylander made five NHL appearances for Toronto but did not record a point. He also had a -1 rating and averaged just 9:53 per game. Before the call-up, he had eight goals and 12 points in 14 AHL games.

Despite the lack of production, there may be some interest in his services on the waiver wire after he ended last season with 11 goals in 23 games for the Blue Jackets. The 2016 eighth-overall pick by the Sabres has 25 goals and 49 points in 126 NHL appearances in parts of seven seasons, and claiming him would require no long-term commitment – he’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Getting Nylander off the active roster one way or another tomorrow will allow the Leafs to activate one of their few IR-bound players, likely winger Bobby McMann or defenseman Jake McCabe.

Maple Leafs Assign Dakota Mermis To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that they’ve assigned defenseman Dakota Mermis to AHL Toronto on an LTIR conditioning loan.

Mermis, 30, played some preseason hockey for Toronto but broke his jaw and underwent surgery on Sep. 26. The Maple Leafs placed him on long-term injured reserve when season-opening rosters were due on Oct. 7, and he’s remained there since. He’s recently ramped up his on-ice appearances and has been skating for over a week.

On his conditioning loan, the depth defenseman can stay in the minors for up to three games or six days. However, the Leafs can apply for an extension from the league to extend that stay before he must be activated from LTIR or remain on the list if he’s not ready to return to play.

If Mermis is ready to go when his conditioning loan ends, he’ll likely hit waivers en route to a lengthier assignment to the AHL. The Maple Leafs already carry eight defensemen on the active roster and certainly don’t have the room or flexibility for a ninth with a rash of injuries at forward.

Mermis signed a one-year, one-way league minimum deal with the Leafs over the summer in free agency after playing a career-high 47 games with the Wild last season. A long-time top-four AHL fixture capable of playing depth NHL minutes, the Illinois native posted three goals and five assists for eight points with a -2 rating, 33 PIMs, 59 blocks, and 45 hits while averaging 14:05 per game for Minnesota.

An undrafted free agent signing from the OHL’s Oshawa Generals by the Coyotes in 2015, Mermis now has 431 AHL games and 74 NHL games under his belt across a nine-year professional career. The 6’0″, 194-lb lefty could undoubtedly generate some interest on the waiver wire in the coming weeks as a physical bottom-pairing or press-box option on a cheap contract.

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Luongo, Harvey-Pinard, Kastelic, Johnson, Mermis

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without captain Auston Matthews for almost two weeks with a lower-body injury. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox argued that Matthews’ prolonged absence has opened some eyes in Toronto regarding the team’s center depth.

Toronto essentially moved every center up a line with John Tavares and Max Domi manning the top two lines. Fox believes that the Maple Leafs must upgrade their third line, which has usually been centered by Domi this season. He’s only managed six assists in 18 games this season and hasn’t scored a goal in the regular since April 6th, 2024.

If general manager Brad Treliving concurs with the assessment the team will have some options available for trade. Fox lists Brock Nelson, Mikael Granlund, Frank Vatrano, Nick Bjugstad, and Jake Evans as the likeliest options for the Maple Leafs to pursue with the former being undeniably the best option.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • Earlier this week, Hall-of-Fame netminder Roberto Luongo met for an interview with former players Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette on the Spittin Chiclets podcast. In the interview, Luongo revealed that shortly after being acquired by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2006 offseason the Detroit Red Wings offered Luongo an offer sheet which would have been more than his eventual four-year, $27MM deal with the Canucks. The organization pivoted to veteran netminder Dominik Hasek who would help them capture their 11th Stanley Cup title a year later after being rejected by Luongo.
  • Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported that Montreal Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard won’t return tonight but is close. Harvey-Pinard is continuing to recover from a broken leg that has put his start to the 2024-25 NHL season on pause. He hasn’t played meaningful hockey since last season scoring two goals and 10 points in 45 games for Montreal.
  • Boston Bruins forward Mark Kastelic left the team’s overtime loss against the St. Louis Blues today after skating in 5:18 of the action. Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe shared that Kastelic is expected to miss the next few days with a lower-body injury. Thankfully for Kastelic and the Bruins, the team doesn’t play again until their contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night meaning Kastelic could be an option.
  • One member of the Bruins organization who didn’t see any ice time this afternoon was veteran forward Tyler Johnson. Before puck drop, the team announced Johnson was out due to ’family reasons’ but would return to practice tomorrow. Johnson has gone scoreless in four games in Boston after signing a one-year contract with the organization two weeks ago.
  • Moving back to Toronto, defenseman Dakota Mermis skated this morning before practice according to David Alter of The Hockey News. Mermis, who has been on the team’s LTIR while recovering from jaw surgery, signed a one-year, $775K contract with the Maple Leafs this past offseason.

Atlantic Notes: Mermis, Toronto Injuries, Lundell

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Depth defenseman Dakota Mermis’ first few weeks with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization is not going as planned. The team announced Mermis had jaw surgery yesterday and would miss the next couple of weeks effectively ending his training camp and preseason.

Mermis was hoping to make Toronto’s opening night roster albeit as a depth defenseman after signing with the organization this summer on a one-year, $775K contract. The surgery will squash any hopes of Mermis making the Maple Leafs and he will instead likely start the season with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.

He will now join defenseman Philippe Myers as the two ’next-men-up’ in AHL Toronto should there be injuries at the NHL level. The Alton, IL native is coming off a season with the Minnesota Wild in which he scored three goals and eight points in 47 contests.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • The injuries don’t stop at Mermis for the Maple Leafs as the organization announced John Tavares, Calle Jarnkrok, and Alex Steeves are all considered day-to-day with lower-body injuries. None of the trio practiced with the team earlier this morning but there has been no indication whether they will suit up in tomorrow night’s preseason action against the Montreal Canadiens. Toronto will prioritize each player starting the regular season on time so they will continue to be careful with all three.
  • According to Colby Guy of The Associated Press, Florida Panthers forward Anton Lundell was back at practice today after missing yesterday’s due to a lower-body injury. Lundell was originally listed as day-to-day but there was no harm no foul as head coach Paul Maurice shared he wasn’t planning on Lundell playing against the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow regardless.

Leafs Sign Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, Cédric Paré

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Dakota Mermis to a one-year, league-minimum contract, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). The deal was first reported by Jonas Siegel of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Toronto followed up this deal by signing defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Cédric Paré, shares Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). All three deals will expire next summer, with Pare’s deal a two-way contract.

Mermis clawed his way into an everyday role with the Minnesota Wild this season, after starting the year as their de facto call-up for injuries. He pulled into a bottom-line role following an injury to Alex Goligoski, proceeding to post eight points and 33 penalty minutes across 47 games. It was Mermis’ first year in the NHL, having spent the last seven years in the AHL, where he’s totaled 139 points across 431 games. Mermis will serve as a stout, defense-first depth option for Toronto.

Myers spent the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, shuttling back and forth between the NHL and AHL. Last year, the 27-year-old dressed in five NHL games and went scoreless, while he played 61 AHL games with the Syracuse Crunch, registering four goals and 19 assists in 61 games. Myers was a highly coveted defenseman just a few years ago and was traded for Ryan Ellis in 2021 and Ryan McDonagh in 2022.

Paré will serve as AHL depth for the Toronto Marlies in 2024-25. The 25-year-old is a former sixth-round pick of the Boston Bruins and hasn’t dressed in an NHL game in four professional seasons. The Levis, Quebec native played for two different organizations last season and was relegated to the ECHL at one point. This past year, Paré tallied 14 goals and 21 assists in 61 AHL games.

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