Leafs announce a roster transaction following loss to Blackhawks

Following reports that the Leafs are still very much considering additional roster upgrades, the minds of the fans are running wild with the possibilities - though TSN's Chris Johnston revealed that any deals for the Leafs would be money in, money out type deals, meaning that the next move will not happen without a player going out.

As of last night, the Leafs were actually over the NHL's acceptable threshold for a valid roster, having 24/23 players rostered at the NHL level, thanks to the emergency call-up of Erik Kallgren just in case Ilya Samsonov was not well enough to play on Sunday. In the end, however, Samsonov did indeed suit up and play.

Following the Leafs' loss to the lowly Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday evening, the team concluded a roster transaction that had flown under the radar, sending goaltender Erik Kallgren down to the AHL's Toronto Marlies, ending his emergency recall to drop back down to the 23/23 roster limit.




Kallgren did not play during his most recent call up, but did play a substantial number of games for the Leafs earlier in the season. In 10 appearances this season, Kallgren posted a 3-2-4 record to go along with a 2.67 GAA and a .898 SV%.

It's somewhat concerning, but Kallgren has also failed to excel at the AHL level, posting a 6-5-2 record, a 3.33 GAA and a .884 SV%. The 26-year-old Swedish netminder is a pending RFA, so the Leafs do still have some control, but given the current depth at the position, it's really anyone's guess how they proceed here. The once promising goaltending prospect had not had a season SV% over .905 dating back to 2020-21, when he played for Vaxjo HC in Sweden.