McCabe was injured after taking a puck to the head. With his return, the Toronto Maple Leafs' defense is close to full health. The Dakota Mermis chapter in Toronto came to a close before it even had a chance to start. As reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Utah Hockey Club claimed Mermis off waivers after the Toronto Maple Leafs had planned for him to report to the Toronto Marlies. Mermis, who signed a one-year deal worth $775,000 with the Maple Leafs over the summer, faced an early setback during training camp when he took a puck to the face during a one-on-one drill. The incident resulted in a shattered jaw. In an interview with The Hockey News, Mermis described the challenges of recovering from his injury, including being restricted to a liquid diet for five weeks following surgery. After spending time on long-term injured reserve, Mermis began a conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies, where he registered one assist in three games. Once fully recovered, the Maple Leafs placed him on waivers. The 30-year-old, who split last season between the Minnesota Wild and their AHL affiliate in Iowa, previously expressed his preference for Toronto, as it allowed him to remain in the same city even if he moved between the NHL and AHL. The Utah Hockey Club claimed Mermis at a time when they are dealing with significant injuries on their blue line, with defensemen Sean Durzi, John Marino, and Maveric Lamoureaux all on injured reserve. (Hockey Hall of Famer Shea Weber is also on IR, but as Friedman noted, that situation is unique.) Mermis is likely to get an opportunity to contribute in Utah. If Utah eventually places Mermis back on waivers, Toronto could reclaim him and assign him to the Marlies, provided he doesn’t play 10 games or remain with Utah for more than 30 days. Meanwhile, Alex Nylander was expected to clear waivers without issue after recording no points in five games with the Maple Leafs. His move paved the way for Toronto to recall Nikita Grebenkin, who joined the team for their morning skate ahead of their matchup against the Anaheim Ducks.
