NHL

The Leafs will waste no time in going to J.S. Giguere.

BY WEB STAFF
sportsnet.ca

Newest Maple Leafs goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere will get the start between the pipes when Toronto plays host to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

The game can be seen on Sportsnet Ontario (regional restrictions apply) beginning with Leafs Connected at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The veteran goaltender took part in Monday's practice, rotating in net with rookie Jonas Gustavsson. Leafs head coach Ron Wilson said Giguere is expected to carry the bulk of the workload for the remainder of the season with Gustavsson seeing spot duty once or twice a week, especially with the compressed schedule following the Olympic break.

Giguere was acquired from the Ducks in one of Toronto's two big trades on Sunday with Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake headed to Anaheim.

Toronto's other additions also hit the ice for practice on Monday with defenceman Dion Phaneuf immediately inserted on the top unit of the Leafs' struggling power play.

Phaneuf, the centerpiece of a seven-player trade with the Calgary Flames on Sunday, joined team point-leader Tomas Kaberle on the blueline to work on Toronto's 26th-ranked power play with forwards Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and Alexei Ponikarovsky. While Phaneuf was struggling with the Flames this season, 11 of his 22 points have come with the man advantage and the Leafs are hoping his booming slap-shot can help their special teams.

Phaneuf was wearing No. 3 during practice, previously occupied by defenceman Garnet Exelby. Last week, Exelby -- who was wearing No. 7 on Monday -- confirmed to the media that he had made a trade request to Leafs general manager Brian Burke.

Fredrik Sjostrom, who the Leafs acquired along with Phaneuf and prospect Keith Aulie from the Flames, skated on a line with Nikolai Kulemin and Rickard Wallin. Defenceman Jeff Finger stepped in as a forward to be paired with Lee Stempniak and John Mitchell while Colton Orr, Wayne Primeau and Jay Rosehill made up the fourth line.

The new players arrive through one of the bigger trades in recent Leafs history, with Toronto sending forwards Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers and defenceman Ian White to Calgary.

Sunday's moves left the Leafs a few bodies short at practice but the team is expected to make call-ups from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. Viktor Stalberg and Christian Hanson are the two likeliest names to get the call.

In other news, Wilson said injured defenceman Mike Komisarek would miss Tuesday's game against the Devils and undergo further testing on Wednesday. The West Islip, New York native hasn't played since Jan. 2 and the Leafs coach -- who will also be behind the U.S. bench at the Olympics -- said Komisarek's status for the Vancouver Games could hinge on his trip to the doctors this week.

Mikhail Grabovski, who has been out since the beginning of the month with a fractured wrist, will undergo an MRI after having his cast removed on Monday. In 42 games this season, Grabovski has seven goals and 18 assists.