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Maple Leafs Recall Marshall Rifai

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The Maple Leafs announced today they’ve recalled defenseman Marshall Rifai from AHL Toronto. Winger Max Pacioretty, who’s missed three games with an undisclosed injury, was placed on injured reserve in a corresponding transaction. Their active roster remains at the 23-player maximum.

Rifai fulfills Toronto’s need for an extra body on defense. They lost Chris Tanev to what’s believed to be a short-term shoulder injury Tuesday night in Boston, leaving them without an additional defender in case of further injuries for the remainder of their road trip. The left-shot Rifai will likely sit in the press box instead of replacing the righty Tanev in the lineup. The latter honor should go to 6’5″ depth piece Philippe Myers, who’s been passable when called upon this season but hasn’t played since the 4 Nations break.

Tanev not landing on injured reserve indicates the Leafs are hopeful he’ll be back within the lineup sometime over their three-game stretch between now and Monday. A retroactive IR placement would have ruled him ineligible until next Wednesday against the Golden Knights, Toronto’s final game before the trade deadline.

The 26-year-old Rifai lands his fourth recall of the season, although none have led to any playing time. The 6’2″, 213-lb depth rearguard remains with just two career NHL appearances to his name, both coming in February of last season. Signed by the Leafs as an undrafted free agent out of Harvard in 2022, his defensive acumen in the minors impressed the front office enough to sign him to a two-year, one-way $1.55MM extension at the beginning of the season. That would indicate they expect him to be in more serious consideration for playing time in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 campaigns.

While not known or depended upon for his point production, Rifai is amid his worst offensive season out of three AHL campaigns with Toronto. Now an alternate captain for the Marlies, he’s got 3-6–9 through 44 games this season after notching 2-17–19 in 57 showings last year. The hard-hitting blue-liner stands as the team’s PIMs leader with 57, and his plus-seven rating is tied for fifth on the team.

Notably, Rifai has spent 24 days on the active roster this season. If this recall lasts over six days, he’ll need to clear waivers again to return to the minors.

Since Pacioretty last played before the break, he’s already missed more than seven days and can come off IR anytime. The 36-year-old has now lost 17 games to injury this season, although thankfully none are related to the three consecutive Achilles surgeries that cost him the overwhelming majority of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns. When healthy, the veteran has 5-8–13 in 37 appearances, posting a minus-two rating and averaging 13:30 per game with an eye-popping 105 hits, already the fourth-most in a single season of his 17-year career. He’s already hit both of his performance bonuses and will earn the full $1.5MM value of the one-year contract he signed with the Leafs in October.

Chris Tanev Out Friday, Considered Day-To-Day

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  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly avoided a worst-case scenario with their top shutdown defenseman. The Hockey News’ David Alter shared that Chris Tanev’s recovery timeline is only considered day-to-day although he’s been ruled out for Friday’s contest against the New York Rangers. Tanev was seen wearing a sling after missing the final two periods of Toronto’s game yesterday evening against the Boston Bruins.

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Trade Deadline Primer: Toronto Maple Leafs

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off now complete, the trade deadline looms large and is just a few weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 2024-25 campaign marks the ninth year in a row the Maple Leafs are vying for a Stanley Cup championship since their competitive window re-opened in 2016-17. Toronto is in the 58th year of their Stanley Cup drought and they’ll have as good an opportunity as any to break that this season. Although it’s still the most competitive division in the NHL, the Eastern Conference feels more open than in years past which should motivate the Maple Leafs to be aggressive at this year’s deadline.

Record

33-20-2, 2nd in the Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Buyers

Deadline Cap Space

$2.201MM on deadline day + $3.570MM LTIR pool, 0/3 retention spots used, 48/50 contract spots used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: FLA 2nd, EDM 3rd, TOR 5th, TOR 6th, TOR 7th
2026: TOR 1st, TOR 3rd, TOR 5th, SJ 6th

Trade Chips

This is where things get interesting for Toronto. The only draft pick worth meaningful value is their 2026 first-round pick but recent history may dissuade them from moving it. The Maple Leafs traded a boatload of first-round picks during the Kyle Dubas administration with only one Round Two appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Toronto was again engaged in some of the market’s top names last season but ultimately played around the edges. The Maple Leafs acquired Joel Edmundson, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Connor Dewar near last year’s deadline. The highest-valued asset general manager Brad Treliving parted with is a 2024 third-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick.

The Maple Leafs have legitimate prospects such as Fraser Minten, Easton Cowan, and Ben Danford with whom they could part ways to land an impact player. Although Treliving didn’t appear interested in moving big-name prospects in his first year at the helm of the Maple Leafs, he’s no stranger to big moves. During his time as general manager of the Calgary Flames, Treliving brought in the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, and Nikita Zadorov via trade. If Treliving warms to moving a first-round pick or top prospect, Toronto has the pieces to put themselves in a good spot for the deadline.

Team Needs

1)  Third-Line Center: Assuming Auston Matthews and John Tavares remain healthy the rest of the way, the Maple Leafs would have difficulty improving their top-six centers. Still, Max Domi’s 46.9% success rate in the faceoff dot hasn’t done much to inspire confidence in his abilities down the middle. Toronto could move Domi to the left wing alongside Tavares and William Nylander on the second if they acquire an above-average third-line center at the deadline. This strategy rests on what they’re willing to move. The Maple Leafs have plenty of options such as Ryan O’Reilly, Brock Nelson, Brayden Schenn, Jake Evans, and Scott Laughton but it’ll ultimately depend on how aggressive they’re willing to be.

2)  Top-Four Right-Handed Defenseman: Potentially a more pressing need is Toronto’s lack of options on the right side of their defense in the top four. Chris Tanev has been exactly what they’ve needed him to be but the only right-handed options behind him are Conor Timmins and Philippe Myers. No offense to that duo but neither are expected to strike fear in opposing teams come postseason play. Again, the solution depends on the pieces the Maple Leafs put in play. Toronto should be involved in the markets for Colton Parayko, David Savard, or Rasmus Ristolainen, with any of the three being realistic additions.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Pacioretty Won't Play This Weekend, Dewar Could Return Sunday

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  • Maple Leafs winger Max Pacioretty has been ruled out of this weekend’s games after tweaking something earlier in the week, relays Nick Barden of The Hockey News. There’s no timetable yet on how long he’ll miss.  However, they could get center Connor Dewar back on Sunday against Chicago.  Dewar has missed a little over a month with an upper-body injury.  Toronto will have to make a roster move to activate him although that could be as simple as transferring Pacioretty to IR for the time being.

Pacioretty Leaves Practice Early With Injury

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  • Maple Leafs winger Max Pacioretty left practice early today with head coach Craig Berube telling reporters including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that the veteran tweaked something when he took to the ice. Berube added the injury isn’t believed to be too serious at first glance.  Pacioretty has dealt with injuries off and on throughout the season and has been limited to 37 outings where he has five goals and eight assists while logging just 13:30 per game, his lowest ATOI since his rookie year back in 2008-09.

Minor Transactions: 2/18/25

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The transaction wire is active again today, with many teams hosting their first practices in over a week. The regular season schedule after the 4 Nations Face-Off resumes this weekend, so the players who teams reassigned to the minors over the break to continue playing will be added back to rosters today and tomorrow to make them eligible to practice with their NHL teammates. Here are all of today’s moves that largely constituted reversals of pre-break demotions.

  • The Hurricanes announced they’ve promoted defenseman Riley Stillman from AHL Chicago. While he’d been off the roster for a few days already prior to the break, he’s been a frequent traveler between Carolina and Chicago this season. He was last rostered for a game on Jan. 28 against the Rangers – his season debut, in which he recorded a fight and a shot on goal in 7:40 of ice time. A routine healthy scratch/extra defenseman, Stillman is close to requiring waivers again to head to the minors after clearing them in November. The 26-year-old has 2-3–5 with 41 PIMs and a minus-three rating in 20 AHL contests this year.
  • The Stars announced they’ve recalled defenseman Lian Bichsel from AHL Texas. He was quietly shuttled down on Feb. 8 after making eight straight appearances for Dallas leading into the break. The 2022 first-rounder has 2-3–5 and a plus-six rating through his first 16 career NHL games, all coming this season, and will continue in a regular role for the time being with Miro Heiskanen and Nils Lundkvist on the shelf.
  • The Canucks announced they’ve promoted all of center Nils Åman, forward Arshdeep Bains, and defenseman Elias Pettersson from AHL Abbotsford. They also added goalie Arturs Silovs from the Baby Canucks on an emergency loan and will have Nikita Tolopilo around as a practice goaltender until Kevin Lankinen is ready to return from representing Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, although the latter won’t take up a roster spot. Åman and Pettersson were sent to Abbotsford on Feb. 8, but this is Bains’ first recall since late November. The 24-year-old winger had one goal and a minus-four rating in 11 games earlier this season but has remained a near point-per-game threat in the minors, posting 7-20–27 in 32 AHL games. He’ll now get another crack at NHL minutes in the final season of his entry-level contract. Silovs, who’s struggled to the tune of a 1-4-1 record and .847 SV% in seven NHL appearances this season, will come up to serve as Lankinen’s No. 2 with Thatcher Demko still dealing with the undisclosed injury that caused him to leave Vancouver’s last pre-break game against the Maple Leafs. Tolopilo’s stay will be brief, and the 24-year-old will return to Abbotsford as soon as Lankinen is available.
  • The Penguins called up winger Emil Bemström and goalie Joel Blomqvist from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and returned netminder Tristan Jarry to the minors in a corresponding transaction, the team announced. It’s a pure reversal of the moves Pittsburgh made after their last game on Feb. 8. Bemström has no points and two shots in two games since being recalled for the first time this season on Feb. 7, while Blomqvist has a 3-8-0 record with a .896 SV% and 3.54 GAA in 11 appearances on the year. The 23-year-old has struggled since taking over for Jarry on the roster, posting a .868 SV% in three starts since the veteran was waived in mid-January. The 29-year-old Jarry will continue to bide his time in the minors as he awaits another NHL chance, knocking on the door with a .924 SV% and 2.11 GAA in nine games.
  • The Rangers announced they’ve recalled goaltender Dylan Garand from AHL Hartford. The 22-year-old comes up to serve as Jonathan Quick’s backup with Igor Shesterkin not ready to return from the upper-body injury that kept him out of New York’s final game before the break. He’s sporting a .914 SV%, 2.73 GAA, three shutouts, and a 13-7-5 record in 25 showings with Hartford this year.
  • The Blackhawks summoned defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from AHL Rockford, a team announcement states. Chicago sent the 22-year-old down at the beginning of the break for additional playing time in the minors, where he posted three shots and a plus-one rating in four games over the past couple of weeks. He has one assist in six NHL games since first being called up in late January and will continue competing for bottom-pairing minutes while Louis Crevier is on injured reserve with a concussion.
  • The Bruins recalled defenseman Michael Callahan, center Matthew Poitras, and left-winger Riley Tufte from AHL Providence – the latter coming up under emergency conditions, per the team. Goaltender Michael DiPietro will also practice with the team while Jeremy Swayman remains with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off but won’t count against the active roster. Callahan’s and Poitras’ recalls are reversals of pre-break assignments, with the former’s recall serving as confirmation that Hampus Lindholm won’t be ready to come off LTIR before Saturday’s game against the Ducks. Tufte’s recall is his first since November, and his inclusion is a solid indication that Charlie McAvoy will be IR-bound after sustaining an upper-body injury and subsequent infection at the 4 Nations.
  • The Jets announced they’ve recalled Kaapo Kähkönen from AHL Manitoba to serve as a practice player with Connor Hellebuyck slated to start for the Americans in Thursday’s 4 Nations championship. He’s played one NHL game since signing a one-year, $1MM deal in Winnipeg last offseason – although it was for the Avalanche, who claimed him off waivers in October but lost him back to the Jets on the wire the following month. The 28-year-old has taken a tumble in Manitoba with a .885 SV% in 20 games – a worse save percentage than he posted on last year’s league-worst Sharks.
  • The Sharks announced they’ve recalled forward Collin Graf and defenseman Jack Thompson from AHL San Jose. They were both assigned to the minors after their final pre-break game, although notably, veteran Andrew Poturalski remains in the minors after being demoted along with Graf and Thompson. The rookies are both likely to play next Sunday against the Flames.
  • Utah announced they’d recalled winger Josh Doan from AHL Tucson after the previously reported summons of goaltender Jaxson Stauber. His reinstatement to the roster suggests Logan Cooley won’t be quite ready to return from his lower-body injury this weekend against the Kings, but general manager Bill Armstrong said yesterday he’s not expected out for much longer. Doan has 4-5–9 in 25 NHL games and 11-15–26 in 28 AHL games this year.
  • The Blues will have goaltender Will Cranley join them for practice while Jordan Binnington remains with Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, the club announced. Cranley, 22, was a sixth-round pick of 2020 and is in his second season of pro hockey. He’s spent almost all of his time in the ECHL, where he has a .911 SV% and 2.28 GAA in 16 appearances with the Florida Everblades this year.
  • The Predators recalled goalie Matt Murray to join them as a practice player while Juuse Saros returns from repping the Fins at the 4 Nations, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports. Murray has yet to appear in a game for Nashville after spending the past few years in the Stars organization but has been recalled a few times as injury insurance this season. The 27-year-old has a sparkling .930 SV%, 2.17 GAA, two shutouts, and a 17-7-6 record for Milwaukee.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forwards Gage Goncalves and Gabriel Fortier to join as practice players. Goncalves has served as Tampa Bay’s extra forward for much of the year. His NHL career is still young, and his one goal and seven points in 33 games with the Lightning marks the first scoring of his career. Goncalves has also scored 18 points in 14 AHL games this year. Fortier has spent his whole season in the minors and scored 10 goals and 17 points in 37 games. He ranks third on the Syracuse Crunch in goals and seventh in points.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Maple Leafs Recall Alex Steeves

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The Maple Leafs announced today they’ve recalled winger Alex Steeves from AHL Toronto. They had an open roster spot after assigning defenseman Dakota Mermis to the Marlies before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, which Steeves now fills.

Steeves, 25, was an undrafted free agent signing by Toronto out of Notre Dame in 2021 and has since emerged as a star minor-leaguer. He’s operating over a point per game for the first time this season and has already set a career-high in goals, notching 29-17–46 in 40 games. He now sits atop the Marlies’ franchise leaderboard in goals (98) and points (200) since their inception in 2005. That production has never translated to the NHL, though, only notching one assist in 11 career appearances.

Four of those games came earlier this season. In a November call-up, he averaged 11:01 per game and went without a point, although he did record five shots on goal and 11 hits. He also posted strong possession metrics in primarily defensive usage, still controlling 51.5% of shot attempts at even strength.

Despite those pedestrian offensive numbers, his decent defensive showings in limited minutes and his AHL dominance make it easy to see why the Maple Leafs are interested in giving Steeves another look at the NHL level. He leads the AHL in goals and ranks third in points, trailing only Bridgeport’s Chris Terry and San Jose’s Andrew Poturalski.

Whether Steeves enters the lineup versus the Hurricanes on Saturday likely depends on the health of captain Auston Matthews. The team’s top center is skating with Team USA at the 4 Nations tournament and missed the final round-robin game against Sweden with upper-body soreness, although he’s expected back for the championship game against Canada on Thursday. He’s missed 15 regular-season games already with recurring upper-body issues.

Will The Toronto Maple Leafs Make A Splash At The Trade Deadline?

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In an article today in The Athletic (Subscription Required), Jonas Siegel offered four arguments on why the time is nigh for the Toronto Maple Leafs to make a big splash at the trade deadline. The Maple Leafs have a pair of holes to fill in their lineup but the Eastern Conference seems more wide-open than in years past.

Siegel outlines Toronto’s lineup needs clearly. The team needs a legitimate option at the third-line center position and a right-handed shooting top-four defenseman. The Maple Leafs already have right-handed shot defensemen such as Chris Tanev, Jani Hakanpää (injured), Conor Timmins, and Philippe Myers. Still, Tanev is arguably the only one of the quartet that should command top-four minutes.

Siegel argues that Toronto should target a defenseman like Colton Parayko rather than short-term options like Luke Schenn or David Savard. An acquisition of Parayko would have plenty of challenges to overcome largely due to the full no-trade clause in his contract. Still, given that he’s averaging over 24 minutes a night with the St. Louis Blues, has already scored 12 goals in 55 games, and is known for his shot-blocking and physicality, Parayko is an ideal trade candidate for the Maple Leafs.

Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators was the only player mentioned as a potential candidate to take over third-line duties. He’s on a remarkably affordable $4.5MM salary through the 2026-27 season without trade protection and already has familiarity with the Maple Leafs organization. Whether it’s O’Reilly or another center, Toronto must improve upon Pontus Holmberg, who went scoreless in the Maple Leafs’ opening-round loss against the Boston Bruins in last year’s playoffs, as their third-line center.

As much as a big splash may satisfy Toronto’s needs, a lot rests on how much they’re willing to part with at the deadline. In the last five years alone the Maple Leafs have traded a first-round pick to offload the contract of Patrick Marleau, Trevor Moore in a package for Jack Campbell, Mason Marchment for Denis Malgin, a first-round pick for Stefan Noesen, a first-round pick to offload the contract of Petr Mrázek, a first-round pick for O’Reilly, and another first-round pick for Jake McCabe.

Some of those trades worked out better than others but Toronto has only managed to move beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs once over that stretch. All those moves were made during the last administration guided by Kyle Dubas, and current general manager Brad Treliving took a different approach last year. The highest-valued asset that Treliving moved at last year’s deadline was the New York Islanders’ 2024 third-round pick in a package for defenseman Joel Edmundson.

Siegel points out that the only way the Maple Leafs will manage to make any splashes is if they’re willing to move prospects such as Fraser Minten, Easton Cowan, or Ben Danford, and their 2026 first-round pick. Toronto has not indicated an eagerness to include any of the previously mentioned assets but it’s difficult to disagree with Siegel’s thinking.

Luke Haymes Drawing NHL Interest

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Undrafted free agent center Luke Haymes will likely be one of the players to sign NHL contracts after their NCAA season is over, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

“A few teams are starting to ask about when they can talk to him, and I think it’s some of the heavy hitters,” Friedman said. “I think Toronto’s one of them… I assume Ottawa’s around there, too.”

Haymes, 21, found his way onto our college free agent preview last year but returned to Dartmouth College for his junior season. Injuries have limited him to 12 of the Big Green’s 23 games, during which time he has seven goals and three assists for 10 points and a minus-one rating.

Most of his stock comes from last season’s breakout performance. As a sophomore, the Ottawa native led the team in scoring with 18-18–36 in 31 showings, earning himself a spot on the ECAC’s First All-Star Team and the All-Ivy League First Team in the process.

The 6’1″ pivot has 62 points in 73 collegiate games to date, making the jump to NCAA play relatively early in his development. He played just one season of high-level junior hockey with the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the British Columbia Hockey League in 2021-22, recording 49 points in 52 games there. A consistent offensive producer, he’s not close to seeing NHL minutes but has pro-ready size and, depending on how he finishes the season, will be a candidate for an NHL commitment as he transitions to AHL play.

Regarding his potential suitors, the Maple Leafs have a more robust recent history of dipping into the NCAA market for undrafted free agents. 23-year-old Jacob Quillan, of Quinnipiac championship-winning goal fame, signed his entry-level contract with Toronto coming from the Bobcats last April. He’s spent most of the season in the AHL but made his NHL debut against the Senators last month. Alex Steeves was also plucked out of Notre Dame in 2021 and has since become one of the most prolific scorers in Toronto Marlies history, posting 95-100–195 in 224 career AHL appearances.

Leafs Activate Anthony Stolarz, Mitch Marner To Return

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Two pillars of the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup are in line to return for the team’s Thursday game against the Seattle Kraken. Top winger Mitch Marner will slot back in after missing one game with a lower-body injury, and starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz has been activated off of injured reserve after missing nearly two months with a knee injury, per David Alter of The Hockey News. Stolarz was removed after the first period of Toronto’s December 12th win over the Anaheim Ducks. There was no clear indication of where he may have suffered his injury. He’d go on to miss 24 games with the injury, with little ever being revealed about what specifically occurred.

The Maple Leafs sorely felt Stolarz’s absence. He’s returning from injury still standing as the league leader in save percentage, with a .927 through 17 games narrowly beating out Connor Hellebuyck’s .925 in 42 games. Stolarz has complemented that with a strong 9-5-2 record and 2.15 goals-against-average. Those strong stats are made even more impressive by Stolarz having just one shutout on the season, showing his propensity for keeping games low-scoring even when he does get beat once. Stolarz joined the Leafs on a two-year, $5MM contract this summer after winning the Stanley Cup in the Florida Panthers’ backup role last season. He recorded a dazzling .925 save percentage through 25 starts with the Panthers, and brought that performance with him in the move up North. His strong start to the 2024-25 campaign stole away Toronto’s starting role from youngsters Joseph Woll or Dennis Hildeby – and Stolarz getting the nod immediately upon returning is a good indication that he’ll remain the Leafs’ go-to netminder.

Marner’s return will also be hotly anticipated, even despite his minimal absence. The 27-year-old winger leads the Leafs in scoring by a large margin, with 70 points through 52 games putting him 15 points ahead of William Nylander in second place. Marner has earned that scoring on the back of fantastic playmaking. He ranks third on the team in xGF/60 (expected goals-for per-60) and HDCF/60 (high-danger chances-for per-60), behind only Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, per Natural Stat Trick. Marner has also alleviated any concerns that his injury may stick around, describing it as a bizarre case of losing sharpness to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.

The Maple Leafs have two games remaining before taking a two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off tournament. Stolarz could be in line to start both outings, then get an extended break to ensure he’s ready to return to a workhorse role in Toronto’s second-half. The Leafs currently rank second in the Atlantic Division with a 32-19-2 record and 66 points. They’ll be looking towards the playoffs soon, but will need all hands on deck to ensure they can get by the first round.

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