The Toronto Maple Leafs announced this afternoon that they have recalled forward Tyler Gaudet from the Toronto Marlies.

Gaudet, 26, has put up 13 points in 39 games for the Marlies this year; while he’s appeared in 20 games for the Arizona Coyotes over the course of his career, he hasn’t played an NHL game since 2017. He’s a big body, at 6’3” and 217 lbs., but he’s been a very ordinary third-line centre for the AHL club. He does show an admirable work ethic and he has some history with the Leafs’ current bench boss:

Gaudet realistically does not have NHL skill and at this point it would be a surprise for him to develop it, but you can certainly understand why a coach would like him. If this is just a reward of a few days’ NHL salary for a Good Pro—as we’ve seen several Marlies forwards receive recently—then that’s all well and good. Expectations should just be very modest.