The Toronto Maple Leafs added two defensive reinforcements ahead of their game Saturday against Edmonton, as they recalled Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis from the AHL.
If there's one negative to the Maple Leafs' 2026-27 season, it is that they have already dealt with their fair share of injuries. Though this is nothing new as we've seen players hurt before, but we are only a handful of games into the season and there's already a long list.
Marshall Rifai and Nick Blankenburg were the latest victims of the Maple Leafs' injury bug as Rifai left practice on Thursday and Blankenburg left Thursday's game - coincidentally as Rifai's replacement and both being placed on the IR.
Toronto adds much-needed defensive help prior to Edmonton game
Both men were placed on the IR, with two corresponding moves to fill the holes left by their absence:
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The Maple Leafs recalled both Dakota Mermis and Cole McWard from the Marlies as they look to have some much-needed insurance and some bodies in the lineup for their upcoming slate.
Mermis, 32, has been with the Marlies since last season, sparingly being used as he only appeared in 11 games last season, with one goal. He did deal with a knee injury that kept him on the shelf, but helped the Marlies to the Calder Cup last season - with a pretty memorable celebration against Laval.
McWard, 25, has only appeared in nine NHL games for his career, and has one goal. He has appeared in five games for the Marlies this season and has recorded three assists. He signed with the Maple Leafs this past summer.
Maple Leafs need all the insurance against Connor McDavid
Toronto needs as much help as possible on the blue line and they can only hope that the injury bug is flying far away from them against Edmonton on Saturday, because they need all the protection against the red-hot Connor McDavid and the rest of the Oilers.
Mermis and McWard aren't exactly needle movers, and there are a flurry of fans on board with Ben Danford being the one to get the call, but throwing a rookie up against arguably top-five player in NHL history is not a great way to gauge his ability...he's going to get torched.
The one issue that Toronto is going to run into and will make things a bit uglier is the fact that they have a very slow defensive group. Once McDavid gets going it's impossible to stop him, and Jim Hiller is going to have to get a little creative with his lineup to make sure he has enough coverage.
Look, the Maple Leafs are going to be in tough against Edmonton and we can't look at Mermis and McWard as saviours of the blue line - they are just there to make sure things don't get too out of hand.
Do you think that Dakota Mermis and Cole McWard can help the Maple Leafs against Edmonton?
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