Leafs send defenseman to AHL; Kase ready to go? What does that mean for Nick Robertson?

Hollowell, 23, was originally recalled by the Leafs back on March 4th and spent 4 days with the Leafs, presumably to gain some experience being around the team and to earn a bit of a pay bump for a few days being on the NHL roster as opposed to the AHL roster. We have seen Dubas do this with young players at multiple points in recent years.

As for why the Leafs needed to open up a roster spot, it appears more likely than not that injured forward Ondrej Kase is preparing to make his return to the lineup for the Buds tonight after missing the last 4 games with an upper-body injury.

Kase had taken part in a full practice last week, but then was subsequently placed on IR, leaving many wondering whether he had suffered some sort of a setback in his recovery. It looks now as though his placement on IR was likely just a paper move, as the 26-year-old took part in the typical pre-game skate rituals for those who are expected to play, skating with the main group for 15 minutes before departing.

It will be interesting to see what head coach Sheldon Keefe does with the lines if Kase is indeed set to return against the Seattle Kraken tonight. He had been playing with John Tavares and William Nylander prior to his injury. Since he's been out, rookie sensation Nick Robertson has taken up mantle on the second line and has looked great in his limited time there.

As for Hollowell, while he did not make it into any games during his 4-day run with the Buds, just spending some time with bona-fide NHLers and absorbing as much as he could will no doubt help him with the Marlies and in training camp this summer.