Mitch Marner is on the verge of a return to the lineup, as the Toronto Maple Leafs activated him from injured reserve Wednesday.

Marner missed the last 11 games with an ankle injury. He was hurt during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 9.

The Maple Leafs went 4-7-0 in his absence. That interval includes the team's sixth consecutive loss Nov. 19, after which the club fired Mike Babcock and replaced him with Sheldon Keefe.

Toronto placed Marner on long-term injured reserve with an expected initial recovery timeline of four weeks on Nov. 10. He was eligible to be activated off LTIR as of Wednesday.

The 22-year-old ranks third among Leafs skaters in assists (14) and fifth in points (18) this season despite his absence from the lineup.

Toronto hosts the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.

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