Maple Leafs confirmed to get defensive reinforcements

The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action tonight against the visiting New Jersey Devils, and they'll be getting a key pair of defensemen back into their lineup.

According to Mark Masters, both Joel Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin are making their return to the ice, though Timothy Liljegren won't be playing. The news was also confirmed by Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe. 

"Edmundson will come in and Lyubushkin will come back in as well," Keefe said. "Timmins will be out today, and McCabe as well."

According to Keefe, it's simply a maintenance day for McCabe.

"It is just a maintenance day for Caber," Keefe said. "He has played through a lot of bumps and bruises all through the season. He has played a lot for us. It is a very busy stretch of schedule for us. It is a chance for us to give him a breath." 

Meanwhile, Keefe explained that it was great to get Edmundson, whom they acquired at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, back into the fold. 

"It is great to see him back for sure, especially for a guy who is still new to our team," Keefe said. "To have him miss time is tough, and to get him back in the mix is good.

He has been managing this well. He has been back on skates for a while. We’ve been giving him time to be certain that things are good. It will be nice to get him back in and get him those reps that he needs and we need to have with him."

As far as Liljegren goes, Keefe is hoping that he'll be able to get some action in prior to the start of the playoffs later this month.

"For sure. I haven’t gotten the report on how today has gone, but it seems like he was feeling well," Keefe said. "He will be in practice tomorrow. We will take it a day at a time from there."

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