The Maple Leafs announced they’ve activated center Fraser Minten from season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to AHL Toronto. The 20-year-old cost $77K against the cap while on SOIR, so the move does open up a bit of financial flexibility without affecting the active roster.
Minten missed all of training camp and the first few weeks of the regular season after sustaining a high ankle sprain during a rookie camp game in mid-September. That ended any hopes the 2022 second-round pick had of making the opening night roster, and without a clear fit for him in the NHL now, he’ll head to the minors and log heavy minutes with the Marlies.
One of the organization’s top prospects, Minten didn’t crack The Athletic’s league-wide top-100 list over the summer but is still one of the best up-and-coming forwards within the Toronto pipeline. A strong training camp in 2023 landed him a brief NHL look, playing in four games while averaging 11:26 per contest before the Leafs returned him to juniors. He split last season in the WHL between the Kamloops Blazers and the Saskatoon Blades, totaling 48 points in 43 contests with a +18 rating. He also captained the Canadian squad at the 2024 World Juniors, posting a goal and two assists in five appearances.
He’ll now get to make his AHL debut with the Marlies and will get an extended runway there to acclimate to the professional level. He should be considered an outside candidate at best to get a recall at some point later on in the season.