Leafs make surprising call up ahead of tonight's feature game on Hockey Night in Canada

Clifford is known as a physical presence, and it is likely he is in the lineup in anticipation of a rough game. Of course, the Leafs and Jets have some bad blood between them. On December 5th of 2021, the Leafs and Jets engaged in an on-ice battle that saw Rasmus Sandin receive a knee from Jets defensemen Neal Pionk. Shortly after, Jason Spezza took a run at Pionk that led to a Spezza suspension. Additionally, Wayne Simmonds was kicked out of the game for trying to drop the gloves with Logan Stanley. Kyle Clifford also had a fight that game, engaging with Brendan Dillion.

It seems obvious why a veteran like Clifford would be recalled before a game like tonight. In addition to the history between the two teams, it is also possible that Toronto did not like the treatment Auston Matthews has received in the early going of the season. Last game, it was Jaime Benn of the Dallas Stars who gave Matthews a cross-check between the shoulder pads and pants, where there is no padding.

Clifford is a 31-year-old veteran of 751 regular season NHL games. In that time, he has amassed (66 goals & 77 assists) 143 points and 903 penalty minutes. He has been credited for 92 fights (regular season & playoffs) in the NHL, according to hockeyfights.com.

This is a clear message from Sheldon Keefe to the Jets, and the rest of the league that if you plan to try to bully the Leafs, they're more than willing to fight fire with fire.