For the past several weeks, the belief has been that the Maple Leafs would be targeting a top-six winger upgrade. However, GM Kyle Dubas told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link) that Alex Galchenyuk’s performance so far has reduced the urgency to make such a move. The 27-year-old has a goal and three assists in nine games with Toronto and will require waivers to go back to the taxi squad once he suits up again. Their cap situation is well-known – they’re pretty close to needing to match money in whatever moves they try to make – so it would definitely help if Galchenyuk can hold down that spot on the second line.
Dubas also indicated that he’s hopeful to have more information regarding Frederik Andersen’s availability over the next few days and that he expects that the Maple Leafs won’t have to make a move to bring in any extra goaltending depth.
More from the North Division:
- In an interview with Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (subscription link) Oilers GM Ken Holland indicated that they have told top prospect Dylan Holloway that they would like him to turn pro. However, with his broken thumb, he’s still several weeks away from being available to play so that decision can be deferred for a while. The 19-year-old had a very strong sophomore year at Wisconsin with 11 goals and 24 assists in just 23 games and if he’s healthy and willing to turn pro, he could be an interesting addition to Edmonton down the stretch.
- The Senators could be getting their goalie tandem back soon. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that both Marcus Hogberg and Matt Murray are skating and nearing returns; Hogberg has been out since mid-February while Murray was injured in the pregame warmup back on March 14th. Anton Forsberg and Filip Gustavsson have served as the goalies in recent weeks and while the latter is waiver-exempt, Forsberg could once again find himself in the third-string reserve role that he has held for most of the season.