Maple Leafs loan defenceman Rinat Valiev to Marlies

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman joined the Starting Lineup to talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs victory over the Dallas Stars and why Mike Babcock will consider keeping the lineup the same and what they might be doing with Kasperi Kapanen.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have loaned defenceman Rinat Valiev to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies as the NHL enters its all-star break.

Valiev was called up when the Maple Leafs placed fellow blueliner Morgan Rielly on injured reserve on Jan. 22 but he did not appear in a game.

The 22-year-old Valiev has registered one goal and seven assists in 29 games with the Marlies this season. He skated in 10 games for the Maple Leafs during the 2015-16 season but failed to register a point. The native of Nizhnekamsk, Russia was originally selected by the Maple Leafs in the third round of the 2014 draft.

Toronto, currently sitting third in the Atlantic Division, resumes play after the all-star break at home against the New York Islanders on Jan. 31.

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