Leafs place blueliner on waivers ahead of game against Florida

After six months of rehab and recovery following shoulder surgery, Carl Dahlstrom appears to be very close to returning. Dahlstrom suffered the injury during a pre-season game on September 28th and was expected to be out approximately 6 months from his surgery date. Dahlstrom has been skating lately at the Leafs' practice rink in Etobicoke and seems like he is very close to returning.

With 9 NHL defencemen on the roster already, the Leafs placed Dahlstrom on waivers this afternoon so that he (hopefully) can rejoin the Marlies for a few regular season games before the playoffs begin. Dahlstrom looked to be a favourite to be the Leafs' 8th defenceman this season before the injury, and will now have to wait until training camp next season before making the leap to the NHL.

Dalhstrom will be a UFA at the end of the season, but the Leafs should have no issue re-signing him if the two sides want to extend their relationship. In 67 NHL games, Dahlstrom has registered 12 assists and in just 3 games with the Leafs during the 2021-22 season, Dahlstrom registered 2 assists.