Maple Leafs recall Michael Pezzetta from AHL’s Toronto Marlies

The move comes as the team is currently on an eight-game losing streak, with the playoff picture looking beyond bleak at this point. After the Leafs used the trade deadline to sell off some players, they began laying the groundwork to see what they had in certain AHL players. Bo Groulx was recalled for the Maple Leafs’ most recent game against the Montreal Canadiens, and Pezzetta was brought up ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Pezzetta, who turns 28 on Friday, signed a two-year contract with the Maple Leafs last summer after spending his entire career with the Canadiens organization to that point. He was placed on waivers just before the season started and cleared, giving him the green light to spend the season with the Marlies. He has four goals and ten points in 37 games with the Marlies to date along with 52 penalty minutes.

Originally hailing from Toronto, Pezzetta spoke prior to the season about how excited he was to suit up for his boyhood team and what he believed he could bring to the Leafs.

“A lot of my game is being someone who is hard to play against, being someone that is defensively responsible, someone that a coach can trust,” Pezzetta said on July 2. “You’re going to go out there and change the shift of a game with a big hit or a good forecheck.

It’s unfortunate in Pezzetta’s case that he had to wait until the season was more or less out of reach to get his shot to make an impact, but there’s no doubt that putting that jersey on for the first time will be a fulfilling feeling for him, and ideally, impress brass enough to give him a chance to crack the lineup next season.

The Leafs will look to avoid extending their losing streak to nine games when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.