Maple Leafs recall Pontus Holmberg, loan Maxime Lajoie to minors

The Toronto Maple Leafs have swapped players with their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, recalling forward Pontus Holmberg and loaning out defenseman Maxime Lajoie, according to a team release.

Holmberg returns to the Maple Leafs after a brief stint in the minors. The team sent him down on Monday to make room for winger Nicholas Robertson to come up to the active roster.

The 24-year-old Swede has been a non-factor on the scoresheet this season, recording no points and a -2 rating in seven games with the Leafs. His possession numbers have dipped south from last year’s rookie season, posting a Corsi share of 42.5% at even strength while averaging 8:44 per game.

At the very least, Holmberg has been less of a liability than enforcer Ryan Reaves, who has no points and a -9 rating while playing in all 13 games this season. Summoning Holmberg from the minors could mean that Reaves, who signed a three-year, $4.05M contract with the Leafs last summer, could be a healthy scratch for Friday’s game against the Calgary Flames. The Leafs’ depth posting poor possession metrics is a significant reason why Toronto has conceded 3.62 goals per game this season, the worst in the Atlantic Division.

Toronto can only carry two extra skaters on the active roster for the time being due to salary cap constraints, including injured defenseman Jake McCabe. Thus, someone had to head back to the Marlies to create cap space for Holmberg. Lajoie has made one appearance for the Maple Leafs this year after injuries sidelined McCabe and Timothy Liljegren, taking just nine shifts and skating 4:54 in a 6-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres last Saturday.

Lajoie, 26, is also without a point in seven games with the Marlies this season. He’s played in NHL games in each of the last six seasons but hasn’t come close to recapturing a full-time role since registering 15 points in 56 during his rookie season with the Ottawa Senators in 2018-19.