The Maple Leafs have placed the injured Andreas Johnsson on LTIR and called up three players.

Andreas Johnsson left the Leafs last game against the Colorado Avalanche with some kind of injury. After the game, and before much meaningful medical evaluation, coach Sheldon Keefe said Johnsson was ‘sore’

With Johnsson now on LTIR, he cannot be reactivated for 24 days, which takes us right into the Christmas break. So, don’t look for him back until the roster freeze is over. The actual rule is 10 games and 24 days, so his first available game is the New Year’s Eve game in Minnesota.

The team is leaving to play three western teams on the road with 23 players on the roster, and enough extra LTIR salary pool to swap out anyone they like for even the most expensive of their players left in the AHL. All options are open, and there’s nothing forcing Frederik Gauthier or Dmytro Timashov into the lineup.

Pontus Aberg gets his first chance to play on the team in the regular season, if he draws in. He leads the Marlies in points with 24, has played every game, and is a key part of their impressive winning pace, but he failed mightily to impress in preseason. He looked good at first, and then just faded, and no one was surprised when he was cut. He’s been non-stop good in the AHL on the right wing since then.

Nic Petan is a known quantity. He’s too good for the AHL, and adds some value in the NHL, interestingly on the defensive side in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. The choice to cut him in favour of Pierre Engvall or Timashov was curious.

Martin Marincin should be expected to be an emergency replacement and practice defender to allow Morgan Rielly to keep taking maintenance days.

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