Former Leaf called up by the Canes; Will he play against the Buds tonight?
The Leafs are making their return from the All-Star break tonight, hosting the Carolina Hurricanes at an empty Scotiabank Arena. Despite no fans being in attendance, the game tonight has extra meaning as former Leafs starter Frederick Andersen will be making his return to Toronto. A recent call up from the AHL for the Hurricanes suggests that Andersen may not be the only former Leaf suiting up for the Hurricanes tonight.
Josh Leivo was called up by the Canes this afternoon and it appears as though he could go for Carolina tonight as well, depending on what happens with another one of their key forwards. Leivo, a 3rd round pick of the Leafs in 2011, spent parts of 9 seasons in the Leafs organization before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks in late 2018. Leivo bounced around between the Leafs and Marlies during his time in Toronto, playing just 84 games as a Leaf, scoring 14 goals and 15 assists for a total of 29 points.
This season, Leivo has 3 points in 5 games with the Hurricanes and 19 points in 22 games with their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Forward, Teuvo Teravainen is a game time decision for tonight. If he is not cleared to play, expect the former Leaf to suit up for the Hurricanes tonight.
The Leafs are currently riding a 5-game winning streak, with the Canes coming into Toronto on a 4-game win streak of their own. Only one of these two powerhouse teams will walk away with the two points, so this one should be a competitive contest.
