Dakota Mermis' waivers result is in, and the Leafs' next move is clear

On Tuesday the Toronto Maple Leafs made a roster move that sparked some intrigue as they placed Dakota Mermis on waivers alongside two Blue Jackets players in Zach-Aston Reese and Brendan Gaunce.

It sparked rumors of a deal, and with teams able to claim Mermis (much like Utah did last season), it was unknown if he would be still wearing blue and white in some form.

Elliotte Friedman has confirmed that Mermis cleared waivers, which would give way for the Maple Leafs to now assign him to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).

Mermis skated in 11 games for the Maple Leafs this season, recording one goal. He has been out with a knee injury suffered in early December after a knee-on-knee collision with Tampa Bay's Gage Goncalves.

It's unclear if the Maple Leafs have room for Mermis going forward however he may end up playing a bit of a bigger part down the line. If the team decides to sell and gets rid of names like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Brandon Carlo and/or Simon Benoit then that would leave an opening for him.

While it doesn't guarantee he sticks around long-term, the team does need NHL bodies to finish out the year and he's been fairly solid despite the lack of playing time.

It also opens up a roster spot if the team does want to bring back William Nylander as well, who is expected back potentially Thursday against Seattle.

If that's the case, then it's unlikely the roster spot is used for a new player coming in via trade however with how bad the team has been as of late and a lot of questions about their direction going forward -- they probably should avoid buying.

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