Elliotte Friedman Reports Toronto Maple Leafs Are Candidates For Special Extension Due To Injured Player
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a few players on conditioning stints, and they could ask for a few more games according to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman.
The Toronto Maple Leafs currently have both Jani Hakanpaa and Connor Dewar on conditioning stints in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. It gives both men the chance to get back into game shape before their imminent return to the Maple Leafs lineup. Fans were perplexed, however, given the Marlies only played once and are off for a week.
Well, the conditions of the stint state that it can be for three games or six days, and given that most teams play either every other night or every two nights, odds are players get a couple of games in. There is a caveat though, as Toronto can ask the NHL for a special provision that allows them to extend the assignment.
Per Elliotte Friedman on his '32 Thoughts' Podcast, Friedman clarified things a bit more about the situation:
The extension would allow the Maple Leafs to have their injured players condition themselves a little bit longer as Toronto can also buy some time to figure out how to get their roster sorted out either through trades, waivers, or outright releases. The return of Dewar and Hakanpaa will push out two players, and it's quite possible that newly acquired Matt Benning, as well as fourth-liners David Kampf or Pontus Holmberg.
Hakanpaa is going to be a huge factor in an improved Maple Leafs defense, as he was one of the key pieces GM Brad Treliving wanted to sign coming into the summer. He's an improvement over Simon Benoit, and his pairing with Conor Timmins should allow the young defenseman to break out a little more offensively.
Connor Dewar is a much-needed reinforcement for the Maple Leafs, given how atrocious their bottom six have been, and they need as much potential scoring help as they can get. If Toronto can swing a trade for David Kampf, and once Fraser Minten returns, it would be fun to see a Lorentz/Dewar/Minten line.
If Toronto wants to make sure they have the best chance possible to not only give Hakanpaa and Dewar a chance to get themselves game-ready but to make sure they get rid of the right pieces so both men can slide right in. It's going to take some work, but six days is more than enough time to figure out and execute a plan.
