Maple Leafs Place Max Domi on Injured Reserve and Call Up Top Prospect Ahead of Big Test
The Toronto Maple Leafs placed Max Domi on the IR and called up the top prospect Nikita Grebenkin ahead of their game against Vegas.
In Toronto, the coaching staff and the players are preparing for one of their toughest challenges of the season. The Leafs are set to face the Vegas Golden Knights tonight without several of their key stars.
The Leafs will once again be without Max Pacioretty, David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, and Auston Matthews, who are all dealing with injuries, in addition to Ryan Reaves serving his five-game suspension for his dirty hit on Edmonton Oilers' defenseman Darnell Nurse.
Unfortunately, another key member of the top six will be sidelined tonight.
In breaking news, the Maple Leafs announced that Max Domi was placed on IR retroactive to November 16 and that they decided to call up one of their top prospects from the Marlies to take his spot: Nikita Grebenkin.
The Leafs suddenly find themselves lacking depth at center, and taking a look at the lines seen at yesterday's practice, with Fraser Minten taking Kampf's spot, there needs to be a trade or something happening soon.
Having two AHL players against a powerhouse team like the Golden Knights doesn't look good for the Leafs, but the Maple Leafs were left with no real other options to choose from.
Head coach Craig Berube even discussed with Mitch Marner the possibility of putting him at center for a while as the team waits out these injuries or gets some reinforcements.
As a fan, I'm eager to see Minten and Grebenkin with the Leafs but also worried about the Vegas game.
Both of these young players are expected to play important roles for the team in the future, but rushing them into the NHL is a risky move.
I believe putting Alex Steeves in the bottom six could be another interesting option.
Not only does he have more NHL experience, but he also has better AHL numbers than Minten and Grebenkin, and he could be the one to kickstart Nick Robertson once again.
Steeves scored 12 points in 10 games with the Marlies and is currently 2nd all-time on the Marlies for points scored and Grebenkin has 10 points in 13 games.
Minten has only four points in five games, but it's impressive considering he's only recently gotten back into the lineup after his injury.
The lines for tonight's game have yet to be confirmed, and it'll be interesting to see how Berube decides to use Minten and Grebenkin, considering the tough challenge ahead. However, I have faith in Berube's decisions.
