Maple Leafs Assign One Forward to the Marlies, Send Another to Injured Reserve

A roster shuffle was bound to take place once the Toronto Maple Leafs became healthier, and that day has come with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies set to return to game action tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

As David Alter reported earlier in the day, the presumption was that Alex Steeves would come out of the lineup and subsequently be sent back down to the minors. He added that Bobby McMann would also be shifted to the IR. All of which officially took place a few hours after the original report.

Steeves took part in 4 games this year but didn't record a point as he averaged 11:01 TOI. He will return to the Toronto Marlies, where he had registered 9 goals and 12 points in just 10 games before his call-up.

The interesting detail with Steeves' demotion is that, although he required waivers to go down last time around, he can be sent down without having to go through waivers because he played less than 10 games and spent less than 30 days cumulatively on the roster, according to the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, as reported by Alter.

McMann, on the other hand, had scored 6 goals and added an assist in 21 games this season, held a plus-6 rating, and averaged 14:01 TOI. He played a key role with several top-6 members sidelined before he was ultimately taken out with a lower-body injury during Wednesday night's loss to Florida.

With McMann on the IR, it opens up the second roster spot that was necessary for both Knies and Matthews to return to the lineup tonight, and he will now be forced to miss a minimum of 7 days. The earliest he can return from the IR would be before their December 6th clash against the Washington Capitals.

Knies is set to skate with Matthews and William Nylander on the Leafs' presumed top-line, while John Tavares will be centering Mitch Marner and Pontus Holmberg tonight.