Leafs Look More Like Marlies After Injuries
Posted December 28, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Paul Maurice was understandably thrilled when he was hired to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs. The youthful bench boss made the jump back to the N.H.L. after an enjoyable, albeit fairly brief stint with Toronto’s American League affiliate, the Marlies.
But Maurice must have felt like he was back in the minors as he overlooked Thursday’s practice, where eight players from the Marlies organization were on the ice.
The slew of new faces come as a result of a plethora of injuries that have befallen the battered Buds.
Darcy Tucker is the latest player to feel the hurt. He has a sore foot and may not dress in the team’s next contest.
Recent call-up Boyd Deveraux is more than willing to fill his spot in the lineup.
“It depends on how Darcy is feeling. We’ll see in the morning skate but I’ll prepare like I’m going to play.”
Other fill-ins, like Chris Newbury, believe the transition has been a little bit smoother considering the fact that Maurice coached them last season.
“He knows what I can bring to the table and that’s a good thing. He’s got faith in me and he showed me the way last year.”
Maurice expects the young replacements to make the appropriate adjustments.
“They come in and there’s no lag time. I expect them to know what they’re supposed to do,” he said.
