The future is arriving for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sort of.
The club has recalled William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Nikita Soshnikov, Zach Hyman, and Ben Smith from the AHL's Toronto Marlies in advance of Monday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
And while it's believed the group will be in the lineup, there's expected to be further maneuvering with the call-ups in order to ensure eligibility for the AHL playoffs, in which the Marlies will be heavily favored to win the Calder Cup.
The promotion to the big club does, of course, carry contract implications.
if Nylander & Kapanen end up playing in 10 NHL games with the Leafs this season, they'll burn 1 year of their EL contract.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) February 29, 2016
Nylander, 19, has recorded 18 goals and 27 assists in 37 games for the Marlies in a season that was interrupted by a concussion suffered at the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Kapanen, a key piece of the Phil Kessel trade last summer, has scored eight goals and added 14 assists in 32 games.
#Leafs new lines after a bevy of call ups this morning. https://t.co/tYZ7y1ABsR pic.twitter.com/EhyqaoUF6T
— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 29, 2016
The Maple Leafs are expected to remain active in advance of the trade deadline, with P.A. Parenteau likely on the move.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.