The Maple Leafs have made a pair of roster moves heading into their game Saturday in Buffalo. The team announced that winger Mitch Marner had been placed on LTIR retroactive to March 7 for what they’ve termed as roster management purposes. They opened up enough salary cap space to recall defenseman Marshall Rifai from AHL Toronto.
Marner has been out since March 7 with an ankle injury, a significant blow to Toronto’s lineup. Before the injury, the 26-year-old was doing quite well, collecting 25 goals and 51 assists in 62 games. This point-per-game pace would have given him a legitimate opportunity to reach the 100-point mark after coming up just short on that front in each of the last two seasons.
As part of the LTIR requirements, a player must miss 10 games and 24 days before being eligible to be activated. Saturday’s game will be the tenth game that Marner misses while the 24-day mark will be reached on Sunday. It was noted Friday that Marner is expected back at practice on Tuesday and this placement will not affect those plans.
As for Rifai, this is his second recall of the season after being up for a few days in February. During that stretch, he played a pair of games with the Maple Leafs, his first taste of NHL action. The 26-year-old has spent most of the season in the minors with the Marlies, picking up 17 points in 49 contests.
The Leafs have been hit hard with injuries on the blueline recently, with Morgan Rielly, Joel Edmundson, and Timothy Liljegren all banged up. It appears Rifai’s recall will serve as a hedge in case another veteran blueliner cannot play against the Sabres.
