Toronto Maple Leafs lose defenceman for nothing to Utah
Dakota Mermis may never end up suiting up for the Toronto Maple Leafs after all.
Twenty-four hours after being placed on waivers by the Leafs, the Utah Hockey Club has picked up the veteran defenceman.
Mermis, who signed with Toronto in July, is a vet of 74 NHL games but had yet to suit up for the Leafs this season at the NHL level.
He had one assist in three games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Prior to his time in Toronto, the 30-year-old defender had also spent time with the Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, and Minnesota Wild organizations but had mostly been in the minor leagues, save for a 47-game stint in Minnesota a year ago.
Ultimately, despite a bit of NHL pedigree, it appears that he never quite was able to find his way into Toronto head coach Craig Berube’s plans.
The move to send Mermis on waivers in the first place corresponded with Jake McCabe being returned to the lineup from injured reserve after missing five games.
McCabe is expected to be in the lineup tonight when the Leafs host the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Arena tonight.
Toronto had also placed Alex Nylander on waivers yesterday, who cleared and will be sent to the Marlies.
Thursday’s latest waiver wire action was also of interest to Toronto, with former Leafs defenceman Travis Dermott being placed on waivers by the Edmonton Oilers. Though a reunion is probably unlikely at this point in his career, longtime fans will be keeping an eye on the former fan fave to see where the next step of his NHL journey is. The 2 pm ET waiver wire countdown clock continues once again, with the news dropping Friday afternoon if Dermott will have a new home city, or merely be sent to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
More to come…
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