Toronto Maple Leafs Make Roster Move in Surprising 1-for-1 Swap
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a move to shore up their defense on Monday but unfortunately it came at the cost of one of their most exciting stars.
Although the Maple Leafs came away with a 4-3 victory against the Edmonton Oilers, it looks like the team is going a different direction as they head into the rest of their road trip before the 4 Nations Face-Off.
So the team decided to make a serious roster move on Monday recalling defenseman Dakota Mermis from the Toronto Marlies. However, this came at a cost of prospect Fraser Minten.
Toronto's Injury Woes Lead To Call Up For Dakota Mermis
It's another ailment that leads to Mermis' call up as Oliver Ekman-Larsson ended up getting injured during Saturday's game against the Oilers.
It's another injury in the middle of the team's attempt to get healthy, as they just got John Tavares and Matthew Knies back, but also lose Ekman-Larsson and almost lost Nick Robertson as well after a blocked shot.
Mermis has played in 12 games this season for the Marlies, registering zero goals and three assists. He spent the offseason and good chunk of the regular season recovering from jaw surgery, but has returned to be a solid option for Toronto.
Mermis signed a one-year pact with the team this offseason as insurance depth, which is exactly the reason for his call-up.
Losing out on Minten hurts because fans were excited about the prospect of him playing out the season and helping be the rookie sensation who carries the team to success.
He settled into a depth role swapping between Toronto's third and fourth line and while his offense hasn't been a huge impact, he's been a solid addition while the team has dealt with injuries.
The Leafs' 38th overall pick in 2022, Minten registered two goals and two assists in 15 games in his rookie season.
