Maple Leafs Lose Defenseman to Utah on Waivers, Could Claim an Ex-Leaf From Waivers to Replace Him

Wednesday saw Alex Nylander and Dakota Mermis placed on waivers by the Maple Leafs for the purpose of reassigning them to the Toronto Marlies and clearing roster space for the return of Jake McCabe.

Mermis joined the Leafs on a one-year deal in July, but had yet to play in a game for the organization after being injured in training camp.

Mermis had to have jaw surgery and had been on LTIR since the beginning of the season.

Nylander initially joined the Leafs on an AHL deal but signed a 1-year deal with the Leafs amid a number of injuries in late November.

Nylander was unable to impress Craig Berube in the five games he played for the Leafs and fell behind the likes of Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin on the depth chart.

After failing to clear waivers, Mermis will now head to Salt Lake City after the Utah Hockey Club put in a claim on the 30-year-old.

In an interesting turn of events, former Maple Leafs defenseman Travis Dermott also found himself placed on waivers today by the Edmonton Oilers.

Dermott was a former second-round pick of the Leafs, but never materialized into the defenseman they thought he would be. Ahead of the 2021-22 trade deadline, Dermott was traded to Vancouver.

Since leaving Toronto, Dermott has battled injury after injury and inconsistent play that has led to him playing in just 71 NHL games over the past 3 seasons.

It will be interesting to see if the Leafs put in a claim for Dermott in hopes of potentially replacing the departing Mermis on the depth chart.