Toronto Maple Leafs superstar center Auston Matthews took the ice for the club's optional morning skate on Saturday. But when will he return to game action? Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Matt Benning has cleared waivers, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. The Maple Leafs put Benning on waivers on Monday, leaving the player exposed to be picked by any of the other 31 NHL teams. Shortly after word spread that Benning cleared, the Leafs announced that he would report to the Toronto Marlies. The Leafs acquired Benning on Oct. 31 in a trade with the San Jose Sharks along a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft in exchange for defenseman Timothy Liljegren. But with Toronto facing a bit of a roster crunch, reports began to surface that the club could be looking to flip the 30-year-old Benning. The veteran defender played in seven games with the Sharks this season and is signed through the 2025-26 season with an average annual salary of $1.25 million. The Leafs currently have an active roster of 22 players following Benning's assignment to the AHL. Meanwhile, former Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer was waived by the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. The 36-year-old signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres during the off-season but was waived just before the season started. The Ducks, facing a temporary void in their goaltending due to John Gibson's recovery from an appendectomy claimed the veteran. Reimer played in just two games with the Ducks where he posted an .864 save percentage. With Gibson making his return on Nov. 10, Anaheim doesn't need the extra bodies between the pipes. Drafted by the Maple Leafs in the fourth round (99th overall) in the 2006 NHL Draft, Reimer appeared in 207 games with Toronto, posting a record of 85-76-23 overtime losses, with a goals-against average of 2.83 and a save percentage of .914.
