Defenceman Frank Corrado will finally make his Toronto Maple Leafs debut on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Corrado had been claimed off of waivers from the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 6, but the 22-year-old has been unable to break through the logjam of players on the Leafs’ blue-line.
His lack of play had been a topic of concern in Toronto with both the coach and GM having to respond to his usage so far.
Back in November, Lou Lamoriello was on Hockey Central at Noon, and said Corrado’s “time will come, and then it will be up to him to make the most of that opportunity.”
Head coach Mike Babcock told reporters last week that there was a plan in place for Corrado saying, “When we give a guy a go, we try to give him a bit of a go. Frankie’s going to get his go.”
He is expected to take the place of Martin Marincin, and will likely play alongside Roman Polak.
In order to keep Corrado fresh, the team had sent him down to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL on a conditioning stint, where he played seven games. He put up three assists and was a plus-3 in that span.
Corrado was a fifth-round pick of the Canucks in 2011. He’s scored two goals and is a minus-10 in 28 career NHL games.
Winger Joffrey Lupul is also hoping to play Tuesday, after missing the past five games with a lower-body injury.
