Fraser Minten‘s time in the NHL has come to an end after the Toronto Maple Leafs sent the prospect back to the Kamloops Blazers, his WHL team, on Friday.
The move comes with the team needing to make room on the roster to add defenceman William Lagesson from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
The move to call up Lagesson was necessitated after defenceman Jake McCabe exited Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury. McCabe took just one shift before heading to the team’s locker room early in the first period.
Minten was a surprise addition to the Leafs’ opening-night roster after an impressive training camp. However, the 19-year-old has been a healthy scratch the last three games, with Toronto going with the more experienced Pontus Holmberg.
Lagesson joined the Leafs in the summer on a one-year, two-way contract after spending time in the 2022-23 season on the AHL with the Chicago Wolves. In five games with the Marlies this season, Lagesson has an assist.
CapFriendly reports that the Leafs now have $194,166 of usable space remaining in their LTIR salary pool with Minten being sent down and Lagesson being recalled. If the Leafs were to suffer another injury, they could find themselves in a position where they play shorthanded.
The 27-year-old has appeared in 60 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens and has seven assists.
The Maple Leafs face the Nashville Predators Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada, which can be seen on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.