Another Leafs rookie expected to make his season debut against the Flames following Engvall's suspension

With Pierre Engvall suspended for a game, it looks like another Leaf will make his season debut Saturday night against the Calgary Flames. 24-year-old Joey Anderson is expected to draw in on the teams third line, and play beside David Kampf and Alexander Kerfoot. And while the Engvall suspension has given an opportunity to Anderson, the team has been looking at calling him up for a while now, according to Sheldon Keefe.

For anyone who has been following the Toronto Marlies, this should not come as a surprise. Anderson has played 21 games for the Leafs affiliate this season. He currently sits second on the Marlies in goals, with 11 and third on the team in points with 19. Additionally, he plays a well rounded two-way game.

Anderson was originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the third round (73rd overall) of the 2016 NHL entry draft. The native of Roseville Minnesota then played two seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. On April 18th, 2018, he signed his NHL entry level contract with the Devils. He played 34 games the following season (2018-19) with the Devils, scoring 4 goals and adding 3 assists. He split time the following year (2019-20) with New Jersey and their affiliate team in Binghamton.


In the 2020 offseason, the Leafs decided to move out some salary by trading Andreas Johnsson to the Devils in exchange for Anderson, who was a restricted free agent at the time. The Leafs then inked him to a three year contract.

Since the trade, Anderson has spent the majority of his time in the organization with the Toronto Marlies. Over the past two seasons, Anderson has only appeared in six NHL games for the Maple Leafs, failing to record a point. With that in mind, this is a huge opportunity for Anderson to prove he can be an everyday NHL player.