Bunting Looks Poised to Return for Game One; Kase arrives at practice in a regular jersey
Good news for the Leafs ahead of Game 1 against Tampa Monday. Michael Bunting joined Leaf practice in his regular blue jersey meaning he will be skating in the top 6 forward group. For those of you that don't know, most of the time the Leafs have their top 6 in blue, bottom 6 in white, defense in black and scratches in grey.
Bunting missed the last week of the season with an undisclosed but possible lower body injury. He sustained the injury against the Capitals last Sunday but looks like he is ready to go after a week off. Adding Bunting back into the lineup will add a huge boost to the forward group and allow Keefe to reunite Matthews, Marner and Bunting. The trio has been dominating play the second half of the season at 5 on 5 and having them together for game 1 is huge.
Keefe will now have lots of options for his remaining forward lines with Bunting back and it may even allow Keefe to keep Nylander and Tavares on different lines to spread the wealth.
In addition to Bunting appearing ready to return to action, the Leafs also had Ondrej Kase available for practice on Sunday, donning a regular sweater. Since it's his first practice back, it is unlikely that Kase will draw back in on Monday, but as reports suggested this week, we should see him return at some point in round one.
