Marlies Coach John Gruden Provides Important Update on Top Leafs Prospect Fraser Minten

Minten originally suffered a high-ankle sprain during the 2024 Prospects Showcase and was unfortunately forced to miss all of training camp and the start of the regular season for the Maple Leafs.

Ankle sprains appear to be increasing in frequency in Toronto, as the Leafs have lost Mitch Marner, Joseph Woll and Timothy Liljegren for parts of last season due to the same injury and the recovery timeline has been similar for all of them. Like the others, Minten went a full month before returning to the ice with the Leafs' coaching staff before practices.

After a couple of weeks of skating with trainers and staff, Minten was assigned to the Marlies last week, and many had thought he might make his debut on the weekend. That was not the case, however, as the Marlies opted to give the former second-round pick an extra week of practice time.

On Monday, Marlies head coach John Gruden revealed that the team expects to have Minten in the lineup for this weekend's games.

Minten was expected to challenge for a roster spot on the Leafs ahead of training camp after getting a four-game stint with the club last season, but his injury derailed that plan. With the Leafs in a cap-crunch, as they usually are, it may take a few injuries before we see Minten suit up for the Leafs this season, but it also depends on how he performs during his stint with the Marlies, beginning this weekend.