The Maple Leafs announced they’ve recalled defenseman Dakota Mermis from AHL Toronto. Fellow D-man Marshall Rifai is headed back to the minors in a corresponding move, and PuckPedia reports forward Alex Steeves was also returned to the AHL yesterday. The moves leave them with an open roster spot and just enough cap space to activate forward Calle Järnkrok from long-term injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Sharks, as Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reported Sunday.
Järnkrok, 33, has yet to play this season after a lingering lower-body injury resulted in him undergoing groin and sports hernia surgery in mid-November. He was listed as month-to-month, and he only returned to practice as a full participant yesterday.
Signed to a four-year, $8.4MM contract in the 2022 offseason, the versatile Swede has been a decent middle-six piece for the Leafs when healthy. He missed seven games with a previous groin issue in 2022-23 and missed 30 games last year with separate knuckle and hand fractures.
When dressed, he’s produced at a 20-goal, 39-point full-season pace with a +25 rating over 125 appearances. He’s averaged just south of 15 minutes per game and can easily flex between both wings and center, winning 47.3% of his draws since arriving in Toronto. He’s seen consistent penalty-kill usage for the Leafs and fringe power-play usage, occasionally getting looks in the top six. That could be an option down the stretch with a revolving door of second-line left wingers for William Nylander and John Tavares not providing much stability, but for now, he’ll presumably have his minutes limited in a fourth-line role as he gets back up to speed.
Mermis has been added to the Maple Leafs organization twice since the summer, first signing in free agency and then being claimed off waivers in January. Yet his lone NHL appearance this season came with Utah, which selected him off waivers from Toronto in mid-December before losing him back to the Leafs on the wire. Toronto was the only team to submit a claim for Mermis at that time, so he’s been able to suit up for the farm club over the past couple of months without needing to pass through them again.
The 31-year-old was expected to compete for a roster spot as an extra out of camp after appearing in a career-high 47 games with the Wild in 2023-24. A broken jaw sustained during the preseason sidelined him until late November, though. He got some AHL action on a conditioning stint but was claimed by Utah when the Leafs attempted to convert his minor-league assignment into a permanent one.
Mermis is now on his fifth NHL organization after previous stints with the Coyotes, Devils, and Wild. The 6’0″ lefty is a viable puck-mover but has always been more of a defensive option, never topping 26 points in an AHL season. He has six assists and a plus-four rating in 20 showings with the Marlies this year. His defensive metrics in bottom-pairing minutes in Minnesota last year were fine – a 49.5 CF% at even strength with a +0.1 relative impact, plus a 47.9% expected goals share.
He’ll now serve as the Leafs’ extra D for the time being with Chris Tanev on injured reserve as Toronto looks to rotate him and Rifai on the roster to avoid either needing to pass through waivers anytime soon. Rifai cleared at the beginning of the season and has been summoned on a few occasions this season to serve as an extra when injuries strike the Leafs’ defense corps, although he’s yet to appear in a game after making his NHL debut in 2023-24. He’s been on Toronto’s active roster for less than 30 days cumulatively since last clearing waivers, so he doesn’t need them for today’s demotion. The 26-year-old stay-at-home lefty has 3-6–9 with 57 PIMs and a plus-seven rating in 44 games this season.
Steeves has been on the Leafs’ roster since the end of the 4 Nations break, marking his most extended NHL trial to date. The 25-year-old winger appeared in three straight contests for Toronto out of the gate, including a two-point effort against the Hurricanes on Feb. 22, but has now been a healthy scratch in two straight wins. Those two points stand as his only offensive output across seven NHL contests this season and his first since recording an assist against the Blackhawks in December 2021. He remains an extremely valuable minor-league presence, torching the AHL with 29-17–46 through 40 games.