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Mark Giordano Out With Lower-Body Injury, Conor Timmins Out With Illness

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In tonight’s Battle of Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be without a few notable defensemen as David Alter of The Hockey News reports that Mark Giordano will be out with a lower-body injury, and Conor Timmins is out with an illness. Alter did point out that Giordano is listed as day-to-day, but could be out longer as the injury was sustained in the team’s most recent game on Wednesday.

This news likely means that either William Lagesson or Maxime Lajoie will draw into the lineup this evening, with the latter having been recalled on an emergency loan yesterday. Of the two, Lagesson has certainly had more opportunity at the NHL level, playing in 21 games for the Maple Leafs this season compared to four for Lajoie.

Whatever the case may be, the depth of Toronto’s defensive core will be tested during their matchup tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Although his production has fallen significantly since his Norris Trophy-winning season of 2018-19, Giordano has been more than reliable for the Maple Leafs this season, scoring one goal and six points in 34 games, averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per game.

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Maple Leafs Among Many Teams Interested In Maxim Tsyplakov

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Maxim Tsyplakov is having a career year in the KHL and saying he has caught the eye of some NHL teams would be putting it lightly.  Tsyplakov’s agent Alexander Chernykh told The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke that at least a dozen NHL teams have expressed an interest in signing the winger for next season.  He confirmed that the Maple Leafs are among those teams pursuing Tsyplakov.

The 25-year-old had a bounce-back season in 2022-23, picking up 25 points in 63 games with Spartak Moscow.  However, Tsyplakov has found another gear this season, lighting the lamp 30 times already while chipping in with 15 assists in 58 contests while logging nearly 18 minutes a night.  His goal total is tied for the third-highest in the KHL this season behind former NHLers Reid Boucher and Nikolay Goldobin.

Standing 6’3, Tsyplakov is also able to play with some physicality which would help him potentially fit in on a lower line to start next season as it’s rare that an undrafted free agent would jump into an NHL top six right away.  Kloke notes that Toronto also discussed the possibility of trying to play Tsyplakov at center which would certainly increase his value if he’s able to do so consistently.

Tsyplakov is still subject to entry-level regulations so wherever he signs, it will be a one-year, two-way contract with an NHL salary worth less than $1MM.  Considering the level of interest expressed so far, it stands to reason that he should be able to secure some performance bonuses which are capped as well.  Most teams will make the same offer so it will be up to Tsyplakov to determine the best fit, especially since he’d be arbitration-eligible following next season.

Unlike pending NHL free agents, KHL contracts expire at the end of April so Tsyplakov will be eligible to sign at that time.  With the interest he has already received, there’s a good chance it won’t take long for him to sign when the calendar turns to May.

Maple Leafs Open To Moving Nicholas Robertson

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  • Nicholas Robertson has popped up in recent trade chatter and the Maple Leafs are believed to be willing to move the winger, reports The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. The 22-year-old has managed to stay healthy this season, resulting in him playing in a career-best 31 games where he has seven goals and seven assists.  However, Robertson hasn’t been able to lock down a full-time spot in Toronto’s lineup.  Considering his offensive success at the lower levels, it stands to reason that several rebuilding teams would have some interest in seeing if Robertson can take a step forward with a new organization.

Maple Leafs Recall Maxime Lajoie

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The Maple Leafs recalled defenseman Maxime Lajoie from AHL Toronto on Friday, per the team’s public relations department.

Toronto’s 23 active roster slots are all full, so a corresponding move must happen for the recall to be registered with the league. It’s unclear whether that will come in the form of an injured reserve placement or another move, such as a trade. The Hockey News’ David Alter reports center David Kämpf may be heading to IR to create space for Lajoie.

Kämpf, 29, has not played since the All-Star break with an undisclosed injury and is expected to miss at least one more game. He will be eligible to come off IR at any time.

For now, the Maple Leafs will have only 12 forwards and nine defensemen on the active roster. The lopsided totals won’t last long – veterans Jake McCabe and Mark Giordano were absent from practice yesterday for maintenance, so Lajoie comes up in the worst-case scenario that both are ruled out for Saturday’s game against the Senators.

The 26-year-old has four appearances with Toronto this year, last suiting up in the NHL in December. He’s averaged just 9:32 per game and has no shots on goal, although he does have a respectable 52.5% Corsi share at even strength in his limited minutes.

Lajoie will be a restricted free agent upon completion of his one-year, two-way deal this summer. Through 31 AHL games with the Marlies, he has two goals and 17 points with a +5 rating.

Mason Marchment Fined For Interference

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Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment has been fined $5,000 by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for interference on Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe. The incident happened in the second period of Toronto’s 5-4 win over Dallas last night. On the play, McCabe picked up the puck in the defensive zone and reversed it up the boards to a teammate and then turned and was hit late by Marchment. No penalty was assessed on the play and a bloodied McCabe skated to the bench under his own power in obvious displeasure with the officials.

The $5,000 fine is the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and is not the first time Marchment has faced discipline from the league. The 28-year-old was fined $2,000 by the league back in December 2022 under NHL Rule 64 (Diving/Embellishment) after an incident against the Ottawa Senators resulted in a hooking penalty to Derick Brassard. Marchment was hit by the league for embellishing Brassard’s hook to draw a penalty which was the second time he had been disciplined by the league for such an offense. The first embellishment incident occurred the month before and resulted in a warning being given to Marchment.

Despite the discipline, Marchment is having a fantastic year for the Stars as he has registered 16 goals and 23 assists in 50 games. He has been red hot as of late with two goals and four assists in his past five games.

The money from today’s fine will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Toronto Maple Leafs Activate Bobby McMann

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  • David Alter of The Hockey News reported today that the Toronto Maple Leafs have activated forward Bobby McMann from the team’s injured reserve. McMann was originally placed on the team’s injured reserve on January 26th with an undisclosed injury. Missing the team’s last game before the All-Star break, McMann has played in a total of 23 games for the Maple Leafs this season, scoring a total of seven points overall.

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Joseph Woll Returns To Practice, David Kämpf Out One Week

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Maple Leafs netminder Joseph Woll is ramping up his workload in practice as he recovers from a high ankle sprain, head coach Sheldon Keefe said Monday (via Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun). However, the 25-year-old’s return to game action remains up in the air as his absence stretches into its third month.

  • Sticking with Toronto, Keefe said center David Kämpf will miss at least a week with an undisclosed injury after undergoing an MRI yesterday (via TSN’s Mark Masters). He’s been ruled out for the next three games, opening the door for 24-year-old Pontus Holmberg to get an extended look on Toronto’s fourth line. Kämpf’s status will be upgraded to day-to-day next Monday and could return for the team’s Feb. 13 contest against the Blues. The Maple Leafs do not have cap space to recall a player to replace Kämpf, so they’d likely dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen if an additional injury occurs on offense in the next week.

Evening Notes: Kämpf, Järnkrok, Nosek

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TSN’s Mark Masters is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kämpf was sent to get an MRI today and won’t play tomorrow when Toronto takes on the New York Islanders. He is considered day-to-day according to Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe.

Kämpf was injured prior to the All-Star break and reportedly didn’t recover in a way that satisfied the Maple Leafs medical staff. The team will now take a closer look at the undisclosed injury to determine next steps.

The 29-year-old Kämpf had a career year last season with seven goals and 20 assists in 82 games but has struggled this year occupying the Maple Leafs fourth line center role. In 46 games Kämpf has posted just four goals and four assists and is -9.

In other evening notes:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially placed forward Calle Järnkrok on injured reserve as he remains week-to-week with a broken knuckle that he suffered just before the All-Star break. The 32-year-old is in his second season with Toronto and has registered 10 goals and nine assists in 46 games this year. Järnkrok will be eligible to return when he is healthy enough to do so and was likely moved over to the IR to allow the Maple Leafs to facilitate other roster moves.
  • Star-Ledger reporter Ryan Novozinsky is reporting that New Jersey Devils forward Tomáš Nosek has returned to practice after a near three-month absence which signals that he could be set to return to the lineup sooner rather than later. Nosek had a poor start to the season with no points in six games and hasn’t played since November 18th. The 31-year-old signed a one-year, $1MM deal with the Devils in the summer, but has dealt with multiple injury issues this season including a recent surgery for his right foot. Nosek centered the Devils’ fourth line in practice and will likely be asked to play a steady two-way game as well as to contribute to the team’s penalty kill.

William Nylander Wins One-On-One Event At Skills Competition

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The NHL’s All-Star Skills Competition was held on Friday night in a revamped format that saw a dozen players compete in a head-to-head format while taking part in at least four of the events.  Oilers center Connor McDavid took home the title and $1MM while the rest of the results were as follows.

Fastest Skater: McDavid (Oilers, 13.408 seconds)
One-Timers: Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche, 23 points)
Passing Challenge: Elias Pettersson (Canucks, 25 points)
Hardest Shot: Cale Makar (Avalanche, 102.56 mph)
Stick Handling: McDavid (Oilers, 25.755 seconds)
Accuracy Shooting: McDavid (Oilers, 9.158 seconds)
One-On-One: William Nylander (Maple Leafs, 9 points), Alexandar Georgiev (Avalanche, 9 saves)
Obstacle Course: McDavid (Oilers, 40.666 seconds)

Other early news from around the hockey world:

  • Former Bruins goaltender Blaine Lacher passed away on Friday at the age of 53, the team announced (Twitter link). Lacher made an immediate impact in the NHL, coming up as Boston’s starter in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign, putting up a 2.41 GAA in 35 games to earn him a top-five finish in Calder Trophy voting.  However, Lacher only made seven appearances at the top level after that.  No cause of death was revealed.
  • On Friday, the NHLPA expressed its frustration with Arizona’s search for a new arena site, stating that they’ve missed two deadlines already while not engaging with the PA on numerous fronts. However, it appears the team remains on track to purchase a parcel of land as the team confirmed (Twitter link) a report from ABC15’s Taylor Rocha that they are moving forward with a plan to buy in North Phoenix.  At this point, multiple arena sites are still being considered which means we’re still likely a little while away from having more clarity on that front.

Maple Leafs Have Discussed Sean Walker With Flyers

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  • The Maple Leafs and Oilers are among the teams that have spoken to the Flyers about defenseman Sean Walker, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported in a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link). The 29-year-old right-shot rearguard is having a bounce-back season, recording 17 points in 50 games so far while averaging nearly 20 minutes a night while being on an expiring $2.65MM deal.  With a limited supply of quality righties available, Pagnotta notes that Philadelphia has placed a first-round pick as the price tag for Walker’s services although they may have to lower that to get a trade done.
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