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ECHL Newfoundland, Trois-Rivières May Not Finish Season

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The ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers and Trois-Rivières Lions are at risk of folding before the 2023-24 regular season draws to a close, per a report from Matthew Vachon and Paule Vermot-Desroches of Le Nouvelliste. The clubs, which are the second-tier affiliates of the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens, respectively, are majority-owned by Deacon Sports and Entertainment, which is nearing bankruptcy and owes the city of Trois-Rivière more than $600K.

According to Vachon and Vermot-Desroches, the ECHL has set a deadline for DSE to sell the clubs by April 2. However, the sale of both franchises is unexpected to happen in time. The ECHL’s board of governors, led by commissioner Ryan Crelin, will meet Tuesday to decide whether to allow them to play out the season. Regardless, the league will absorb ownership of the two franchises after the April 2 deadline.

Both teams have 10 or fewer games remaining on their regular-season schedule. The Growlers and Lions are both in the league’s North Division and are part of a tight race to claim the final two playoff spots available with Maine, Reading, and Worcester – all five clubs are within five points of each other. As Vachon points out, it’s worth noting that each team will have a representative at the board of governors meeting that will decide the Growlers’ and Lions’ fate, and it’s fair to assume those in the playoff hunt could help swing a vote toward not allowing the clubs to finish the season.

The Growlers have been one of the league’s most successful teams since their inception in 2018-19, winning the Kelly Cup in their inaugural campaign and making it to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and 2023. The Lions are only in their third year of existence and their lone playoff appearance, coming in their inaugural season, was cut short in the first round at the hands of Newfoundland.

No players under contract with the Canadiens are currently on assignment to Trois-Rivières, but they hold the exclusive signing rights of three players on the squad: forward Jakov Novak, a 2018 seventh-round pick of the Senators whom they acquired last offseason; defenseman Miguël Tourigny, a 2022 seventh-round pick; and goaltender Joe Vrbetic, a 2021 seventh-round pick.

However, two NHL-signed players are on assignment to Newfoundland. Maple Leafs 2021 sixth-round pick Vyacheslav Peksa is the team’s current backup netminder, posting an .890 SV% and a 5-10-1 record in his first season in North America. Panthers defense prospect Nathan Staios was loaned to the club late last month.

Maple Leafs Notes: Marner, Rielly, Edmundson, Giordano

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have received a handful of injury updates from their Tuesday morning practice. Most notably, star winger Mitch Marner has progressed to day-to-day with his high-ankle sprain, with head coach Sheldon Keefe saying he’s progressing well, per Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link). Marner is still expected to miss Toronto’s Tuesday night game against New Jersey, marking his eighth game missed with this injury. He will target a return on Thursday when the Leafs take on the Washington Capitals.

Marner has continued to build on his dominant career this season, with 25 goals and 76 points in just 62 games. Max Domi has stepped into a top-line role in his absence, recording eight points in his last seven games. That includes four assists on March 20th – just the third four-point-night in Domi’s career.

Other Maple Leafs injury updates:

  • Fox also shared that defenseman Morgan Rielly has been designated as a game-time decision for the team’s Tuesday night game (Twitter link). Rielly is facing an undisclosed injury, after playing in 24 minutes of the team’s Sunday night loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. He has seven goals and 51 points in 65 games this season, and will likely bump Simon Benoit out of the lineup if he returns.
  • Joel Edmundson is officially out on Tuesday, designated as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury (Twitter link). Edmundson has played in seven games since joining the Leafs at the Trade Deadline. He’s still searching for his first point with Toronto, with two penalty minutes and a +4 marking his only stat changes.
  • Mark Giordano could slot in for Edmundson, with Fox sharing that he is now healthy and cleared to play (Twitter link). Giordano is poised to make his return from a concussion that’s held him out for the last month. He’s managed one goal, seven points, and 33 penalty minutes in 38 games this season.

Ilya Samsonov Shouldn't Be Out For Long

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Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov left Saturday’s victory over Edmonton with what looked to be a lower-body injury.  However, it appears that the netminder won’t miss much time as head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters postgame including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that the injury isn’t anywhere near as severe as it initially appeared to be.  That said, he was not in uniform today against Carolina.  It has been an interesting year for the 27-year-old who posted a .862 SV% in his first 15 games, resulting in him clearing waivers.  However, since returning in mid-January, Samsonov has won 14 of his 19 decisions while putting up a much stronger .908 SV%.  Eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer, Samsonov will need a strong finish to have a shot at besting his current $3.55MM contract on the open market.

Maple Leafs Notes: Barbolini, Bertuzzi, Lyubushkin

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In what has become a typical transaction over the last several years, the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Marlies, has brought in an undrafted collegiate free agent on a two-year deal. The team announced a short while ago they had agreed to terms with forward Matthew Barbolini, who will finish the remainder of the season on a PTO.

Barbolini recently wrapped up a four-year career with Miami University of Ohio, becoming a significant point producer along the way. Overall, Barbolini will finish his career with 125 games played, scoring 36 goals and 86 points.

Now joining the Marlies system, Barbolini will join a team that is currently in a heated battle for playoff positioning in the AHL’s North Division. Currently sitting in third place, Toronto is only five points ahead of the sixth-place Laval Rocket.

Other Maple Leafs notes:

  • The Maple Leafs are set to be without winger Tyler Bertuzzi on Saturday due to illness (Twitter link). Bertuzzi has been on a hot streak lately, with five points in his last five games. His hot streak comes thanks to great chemistry alongside Auston Matthews and Max Domi, who he’s played with over the last few games. Toronto is expected to ice Matthew Knies in Bertuzzi’s top-line role on Saturday – a prime opportunity for the Leafs’ prodigal rookie.
  • Joining Bertuzzi on the list of Maple Leafs’ players who will not be present for the game this evening is defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, who is still out with an illness according to TSN’s Mark Masters. Since coming over from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline, Lyubushkin has suited up in seven games for Toronto, tallying two assists while averaging 16:07 minutes of ice time. Battling this current illness, however, Lyubushkin has been unable to enter the Maple Leafs lineup for the past three contests.

Bertuzzi (Illness) Listed As Game-Time Decision

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Maple Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi is listed as a game-time decision for their game tonight against Edmonton due to illness, notes TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link).  Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that Bertuzzi will ultimately decide at game time if he will be good enough to go.  Bertuzzi wasn’t able to secure a long-term deal last summer, ultimately settling for a one-year, $5.5MM agreement with the hopes of having a big year to improve his value.  However, the 29-year-old has had a quiet first season with Toronto, notching 15 goals and 19 assists in 67 games, his lowest point-per-game average since his rookie year back in 2017-18.

Matt Murray Takes Shots Before Practice

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  • Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray faced shots briefly before practice today as he continues to work his way back from hip surgery, notes TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). The veteran has missed the entire season and when he had the procedure done in October, it came with a recovery timeline of six to eight months.  We’re five months into that timeline so Murray still has a long way to go before being cleared to play.  With Toronto’s cap situation, they wouldn’t be able to afford to activate him until the playoffs anyway.

Ilya Lyubushkin Remains Out Saturday With Illness

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  • Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin isn’t quite recovered from his illness and will miss his third straight game Saturday when Toronto hosts the Oilers, head coach Sheldon Keefe said today. Recently picked up via trade from the Ducks for his second go-around with the Leafs, Lyubushkin did skate today for the first time since his last appearance, Saturday’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Hurricanes. The 29-year-old has been solid since re-joining Toronto, recording two assists and a 51.5 CF% in seven games, mainly skating alongside Morgan Rielly while averaging 16:07 per game.

Tom Wilson Offered In-Person Hearing For High-Sticking

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6:46 p.m.: Wilson’s in-person hearing will be held Friday afternoon, per the department, meaning we’ll get clarity soon on how long he’ll be out of the lineup.

12:05 p.m.: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has offered Capitals winger Tom Wilson an in-person hearing after he high-sticked Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor in last night’s 7-3 loss. The hearing date has not been announced, but the in-person option allows DoPS to suspend Wilson for six or more games.

Officials assessed Wilson a double minor penalty on the play, which occurred 12:15 into the third period. After engaging in a puck battle with Gregor along the boards, Wilson swung his stick one-handed, striking Gregor in the mouth (video link).

If suspended, it would be his sixth in the last seven years. Wilson, who made his NHL debut in 2013, was suspended on three separate instances in the 2017-18 season, one each in the preseason, regular season, and playoffs. All were less than five games. In the 2018 preseason, however, he was handed down a massive 20-game suspension by the league on a play that injured Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist, but it was later reduced to 14 by an independent arbitrator. His most recent suspension, a seven-gamer, came in March 2021. He’s also been fined five times.

After an injury-plagued 2022-23 campaign, Wilson has played in 66 of 68 games for the Caps this year. His 18:03 ATOI is second among current Caps forwards, while his 17 goals (4th) and 32 points (5th) are also near the top of the team leaderboard. A major minutes-muncher and still a truly impactful player, any long-term absence could significantly inhibit Washington’s chances at reaching the postseason. Their .551 points percentage is tied with the Red Wings for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto Maple Leafs Make T.J. Brodie A Healthy Scratch

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Hoping to send a message to his veteran defenseman, the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe, has decided to make T.J. Brodie a healthy scratch tonight according to David Alter of The Hockey News. Taking Brodie’s spot in the lineup will be defenseman Conor Timmins, who has not played a game for the Maple Leafs since January 24th.

It will mark the first time throughout his tenure in Toronto that Brodie finds himself a healthy scratch in the lineup. Although he is now a four-year veteran of the organization, Brodie’s play this year has left a lot to be desired, leading to this tough decision made by Keefe.

Sharing his reasoning behind the move, Keefe was quoted as saying, “Brods knows he hasn’t been at his best this season here, for most of the season, yet he’s taken on a lot for us …. hardest match-ups every single night & it’s been a lot. A chance for us to give him a night off“.

Playing in his first fully healthy year since the 2021-22 NHL season, Brodie has done much of the same for the Maple Leafs this season. In 66 games played, Brodie has averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time per night, tallying 18 assists, and blocking a total of 139 shots.

Although his surface-level production is on par, Brodie has seen many of his defensive sub-metrics slip dramatically this season. His CorsiFor% and On-Ice Save Percentage In All Situations have slipped down to career lows of 43.8% and 89.6%, respectively. Furthermore, Brodie has seen his Expected +/- fall to 6.2 on the year, which would mark his lowest total since his last season with the Calgary Flames in 2019-20.

Nevertheless, Keefe’s quote holds in that Brodie has received some tough matchups this season, and the team may be looking to iron out his load management in time for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. With the blue line being one of the major question marks on this Toronto team leading into the postseason, they will need Brodie to find his game in the hopes of leveling out the Maple Leafs’ defensive core.

Ryan Reaves Out With Eye Injury

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