Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Maple Leafs Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Savage, Brodie, Mandolese, McMann

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

According to Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News, Red Wings’ prospect Redmond Savage is transferring to Michigan State University. Drafted 114th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Savage will take his talents closer to where he will eventually be playing.

Throughout his 67 regular season games played for Miami University (Ohio), Savage was able to put up 13 goals and 17 assists over his 2-year span. More famously, on the world stage, Savage was included on the roster of the United States World Junior team, playing in both tournaments this year and last. Throughout his 12 tournament games, Savage scored nine points for the United States team.

Since joining the Big Ten Conference before the 2013-14 NCAA season, the Spartans have only managed to earn a winning season one time in 2015. However, for the first time under new head coach Adam Nightingale, the Spartans won their quarterfinal matchup against Notre Dame but eventually lost to the University of Minnesota in this year’s Big Ten tournament.

Other notes:

  • From Mark Masters of TSN, after sitting out of yesterday’s game against the New York Islanders, head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe, says that defenseman T.J. Brodie will be back in the lineup tomorrow against the Florida Panthers. After handily losing to the Islanders on Tuesday, Brodie should be a welcomed return to the Maple Leafs against a surging Panthers team. Although his point production is down this season, Brodie has still been keen on his defensive aspects of the game, including being one of the better shot blockers in the league.
  • After netminder Dylan Ferguson became ill before yesterday’s game against the Boston Bruins, the Ottawa Senators re-called Kevin Mandolese from their AHL affiliate Belleville Senators. Today, the Senators announced that they have returned Mandolese back to Belleville. With the Senators dealing with injuries between the pipes, Mandolese has started in three games this year, going 2-1-0 with a .916 SV% and a 3.29 GAA.
  • Furthermore, on the Maple Leafs, David Alter of Sports Illustrated passes on a message from Keefe, announcing that forward Bobby McMann has re-aggravated a knee injury and will not play tomorrow night against the Panthers. McMann has been recalled a couple of times this year on an emergency loan, getting into ten games with the Maple Leafs, and producing one assist overall. Playing for the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, McMann has been an incredibly valuable forward, playing in 30 games, and scoring 21 goals over that span.

Atlantic Notes: Brodie, Luff, Richard

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports that per head coach Sheldon Keefe, Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenseman T.J. Brodie will not be in the lineup tonight. Keefe confirms that Brodie has been fine for the most part, but remains a little banged up as the Maple Leafs continue their final stretch toward the playoffs. During a flurry of trade deadline activity, the Maple Leafs have added Conor Timmins, Erik Gustafsson, Luke Schenn, and Jake McCabe, while only moving defenseman Rasmus Sandin off their roster.

Keefe did not specifically use the word “maintenance”, but with nine defensemen on the active roster ready to fill in, this is exactly what it seems like for Brodie tonight. Having been placed on the injured reserve twice already this year, Brodie is having a down year for his standards. Playing in only 47 games so far this season, Brodie has two goals and nine assists for the Maple Leafs. Although his point scoring is down, Brodie has still been racking up the blocked shots and serving valuable minutes on Toronto’s penalty kill.

Other notes:

  • The Detroit Red Wings announced that they have recalled forward Matt Luff from their AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins. Playing in his first season in the Red Wings’ organization, Luff actually missed over two months of play from an injury at the beginning of the season. Playing in only seven games for Detroit, the forward has scored one goal this year. In the minor leagues, Luff has been a very productive forward for the Griffins, scoring 25 points in 28 games.
  • Being recalled on emergency loan on March 9th, the Montreal Canadiens have sent forward Anthony Richard back to their AHL affiliate Laval Rocket. Playing in 13 games this season for the Canadiens, Richard has scored three goals and two assists. Unlike his production in the NHL, Richard has been one of the best players in Laval this season, if not one of the best players in the minor leagues altogether. In 49 games played for Laval, the forward has scored 24 goals and 31 assists.

Toronto Maple Leafs Return Alex Steeves, Joseph Woll To AHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Toronto Maple Leafs have returned a pair of players to the minor leagues, sending Alex Steeves and Joseph Woll back to the AHL. Woll’s departure suggests that Ilya Samsonov, whose wife is due to give birth, will be available to start tonight against the New York Islanders.

Woll, 24, is having the best season of his professional career, with a .928 save percentage in 18 appearances with the Toronto Marlies and a .938 in three games with the Maple Leafs. The young netminder has battled through several injuries in the early part of his career, but appears to be turning the corning—at least on the performance side of things—and living up to his billing as a top goaltending prospect.

Steeves, meanwhile, is in his second pro season after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, and has 17 goals and 45 points in 55 games for the Marlies. That is nearly the exactly same pace as last season, but it has yet to result in consistent NHL playing time. Through six career games, three of which have come this season, Steeves has yet to score a goal with the Maple Leafs.

Leafs Notes: Brodie, Samsonov, Acciari

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

A common theme of the Toronto Maple Leafs season has been injuries to defensemen, and unfortunately, this week has brought more of the same. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters today that T.J. Brodie is day-to-day after blocking a shot against the Ottawa Senators last Saturday, calling him questionable for tomorrow’s game against the New York Islanders.

If there’s one position where Toronto is built to withstand injuries, though, it’s defense. A flurry of deadline adds and already formidable depth has left the Leafs with a bevy of NHL-capable options to step in, and it’s likely that Mark Giordano will return to the lineup in Brodie’s place. It’s not a small absence for the Leafs, though, as Brodie ranks second among Leafs defenders this season in ice time per game.

  • Netminder Ilya Samsonov told reporters today that he’s been playing with a minor injury for the past number of games. The Hockey News’ David Alter reports that it dates back to a win late last month against the Seattle Kraken. It hasn’t seemed to impact Samsonov’s play that much, and although he’s only made four appearances since then, he’s maintained a 2-1-1 record and .914 save percentage since, in line with his season average.
  • Trade deadline acquisition Noel Acciari gave reporters an update on his condition, saying he’s feeling good and ready to play tomorrow after missing Saturday’s game for precautionary reasons. Acciari played just 5:36 in last Friday’s game against Carolina before a collision with Jesse Puljujarvi that involved a head impact sidelined him for the rest of the game. Since joining the Leafs, Acciari has three goals in 13 games and is averaging 12:51 per game.

 

Jonny Tychonick Signs AHL Contract With Toronto

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While he’s signing with a team in the Maple Leafs organization, his NHL rights are still held by Ottawa, albeit for what will likely be a short period of time. Tychonick’s exclusive signing rights will expire on August 15, 2023, standard procedure for collegiate players who have exhausted their college eligibility and have not yet signed an NHL contract.

Jordie Benn Leaves AHL Game With Injury

at CDT | by 12 Comments

  • With the playoffs just around the corner, a defensive depth piece in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization may be unavailable to them for a while. Jordie Benn was injured in last night’s AHL Toronto Marlies game and did not return, and Marlies head coach Greg Moore offered no postgame update. Benn, 32, has two points in 12 games while playing for the Maple Leafs this season but has fallen down the depth chart quickly after a flurry of trade deadline adds at the position.

Maple Leafs Recall Bobby McMann And Joseph Woll

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In advance of their game tonight against Ottawa, the Maple Leafs have brought up a pair of players, announcing (Twitter link) the recalls of winger Bobby McMann and goaltender Joseph Woll from AHL Toronto.

McMann has been a strong scorer in the minors this season, notching 21 goals in just 30 games.  He leads the Marlies in that category despite missing half of the AHL campaign.  That scoring prowess earned him his NHL debut back in January where he got into eight games, logging just shy of 11 minutes a night while being held off the scoresheet.  With Noel Acciari being injured last night against Carolina, McMann will take his place on the roster for the time being.

As for Woll, his recall was a bit more curious.  However, he’s covering for Ilya Samsonov as head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link) that Samsonov didn’t travel with the team with his wife expecting to give birth soon plus a minor injury before they embark on a long trip starting on Tuesday.  Woll, meanwhile, has been dominant with the Marlies, winning 16 of his 18 starts while posting a 2.37 GAA and a .928 SV%.  His NHL numbers have been better, albeit in a much smaller sample size, as he has a 2.04 GAA with a .938 SV% in three starts with the Maple Leafs this season.

Noel Acciari Won't Play Versus Ottawa

at CDT | by 2 Comments

  • Maple Leafs forward Noel Acciari won’t play tonight against Ottawa, relays NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy (Twitter link). He suffered an injury on Friday against Carolina on a hit from Jesse Puljujarvi and did not return with head coach Sheldon Keefe indicating the 31-year-old wouldn’t be accompanying Toronto on the road.  Acciari has three goals in 13 games with Toronto since being acquired from St. Louis last month while chipping in with 43 hits in a little under 13 minutes per contest.

Injury Notes: O’Reilly, Konecny, Couturier

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Toronto Maple Leafs center Ryan O’Reilly, who broke his finger March 4 against the Vancouver Canucks, skated again Friday before Toronto’s optional morning skate, according to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun.

O’Reilly is currently on injured reserve, but is expected to be ready for the playoffs. If he were to return by April 1, he would have eight games left in the schedule to get back up to speed. If able to return for regular season action, he could be close to full health once the playoffs start. Toronto currently sits one point ahead of the Tampa Bay Lighting for second place in the Atlantic Division behind the Boston Bruins.

Other injury notes from around the NHL.

  • Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny was on the ice wearing a non-contact jersey during practice Friday, according to Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Konecny, who has been out since Feb. 20 with an upper-body injury, may return this season, but Philadelphia is likely to be cautious with his return. Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic reports that coach John Tortorella said he’s not sure if Konecny could return this season. The Flyers are taking into account whether it would be worth Konecny to return this season, as allowing him the time to heal may be the course of action the team decides to take. Konecny has had a strong season, with 27 goals and 27 assists for 54 points in 52 games.
  • Sticking with the Flyers, another player who took part in the morning skate was center Sean Couturier, who has missed the entire season due to injury. He wore a regular contact jersey during the morning skate, reports Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic. O’Connor also reports that Tortorella said Couturier is closer to a return than Konecny. In what has been a lost season in Philadelphia, Couturier’s return would be more symbolic than anything else. He could benefit from taking the rest of the season than risk re-aggravating the injury playing meaningless games down the stretch. If he were to return, the Flyers would surely bring him along slowly to get him back up to game speed.

Auston Matthews Confirms He Was Dealing With Hand Injury

at CDT | by 9 Comments

  • While it has been speculated for a while, Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews confirmed to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic (subscription link) that the upper-body injury he has been dealing with for most of the year is a hand issue. However, the 25-year-old indicated that the hand is feeling a lot better now as of late which is certainly good news for a Toronto team that has made several moves to augment their roster at the trade deadline in the hopes of a long playoff run.  Even with the injury, Matthews still has 31 goals and 36 assists in 59 games so far.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top