Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs Recall Tlusty - Schenn Back Tuesday

Following injuries to wingers Andre Deveaux and Jeremy Williams, and centre Matt Stajan, the Leafs have recalled young offensive talent Jiri Tlusty from their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.  Deveaux suffered a foot injury and was scratched prior to last night’s game with the Thrashers.  Williams slid awkwardly into the boards during the first period of the game, and is likely day to day with a bruised shoulder.

Since returning to the Marlies in mid November, Tlusty has played in 22 games for the Marlies, posting 5 goals and 11 assists for 16 points, along with a -5 rating.  In recent games he has gone cold, failing to register a point in his last four.

Overall, Tlusty has benefitted from the increased ice time he was seeing on the farm club though, and slotting into a relatively offensive role alongside Dominic Moore and Jason Blake should give him the opportunity to play with some creativity.  Williams managed to put up 5 goals and 2 assists in his first ten games with the club.  That being said, his production had also slid of late, having also failed to register a point in his last four games.

Expect Tlusty to skate for roughly the 13:47 that Williams was averaging.

On a positive note, Luke Schenn will hopefully return to the Leafs line up on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers, providing a defensive boost to the line up.  Of the D-men that might be moved, it is possible Sifers or Frogren will sit, or that Ian White may be moved up to play on the wing again.  Frogren has played well recently but there has been concern over a blow he took to the ribs in the match against the Thrashers.  He did participate in a full practice though, so I assume he’ll be healthy for the next game.

The more difficult question that will get raised is who will play together in the defensive pairings.  Schenn had been playing with Kaberle, but as Kaberle and Kubina have played more together, they have grown more comfortable, and their play has improved along with that comfort level.  Schenn may find himself playing alongside Finger or White if Sifers or Frogren sit, or it is possible that if White moves to the forward ranks, Schenn will line up with Finger while Sifers plays with Frogren.  White would likely continue to man the point on the power play, even if he was moved up to play as a forward during even strength play.

Up next for the Leafs are the Buffalo Sabres on New Years Day, and the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.  Expect both divisional matchups to be fairly heated affairs as the Sabres and Leafs have had some interesting run ins so far this season, and the battle of Ontario is a fun tilt to watch any time the Sens and Leafs play.