Brad Treliving Faces Critical Decision as Maple Leafs Roster Exceeds 23-Man Limit

It was a great sign on Tuesday when the Toronto Maple Leafs got Scott Laughton back at practice after missing the entirety of the season so far due to blocking a shot in the finale of the preseason.

He's going to be joining the team at the perfect time, as they are on a two-game win streak and could use his veteran grittiness to help extend that to three in a row.

But with his return to the lineup, that means the Toronto has exceeded the 23-man roster, as they neglected to waive anyone ahead of time like Sammy Blais. So with that, who else could be on the move?

First things first, there is a chance that Toronto decides to move Steven Lorentz to the IR retroactive to his injury, allowing them to get a little breathing room in order to make a decision, however he was also seen skating and looks close to returning as well.

Barring that though, they could send down Dakota Mermis although it would give them only six defensemen to work with and with how many injuries they have dealt with already, losing another would essentially just negate his demotion as he'll probably be called back up right away.

The team can't really risk losing Blais either to another team, as he has been a bright spot for the team in the minimal time he's played, and that short little stint could be enough to entice other teams to claim him.

Which means they may need to send down Easton Cowan, who had a decent run with the club but needs to start finding his offensive footing a bit more, and giving him a chance to run in the AHL is the best way to do that.

Cowan has four points in 10 games this season (1 goal, 3 assists) and recently just scored his first NHL goal against the Philadelphia Flyers last Saturday.

He'll get ample playing time and tons of chances, and it's not like Toronto is going to really be healthy all year, so he's going to have his time back up as well.

He's exempt from waivers so the team can send him down to the Marlies without risking anything, and allow them to open up a roster spot for Laughton, though money is going to be a little tight.

They still may end up making a David Kampf trade, which would finally end that saga and potentially give everyone a chance to skate at one point in the lineup (Cowan comes in for Blais eventually, etc).

But for now, with the return of Laughton it means that somebody is going to be cut in one way or another.

It's an unfortunate part of the business, and a necessary evil if the Maple Leafs want to put out the lineup they've wanted all along.