With their rivals closing in on their North Division lead, the Toronto Maple Leafs are set to receive some much-needed reinforcements.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters that Wayne Simmonds will make his long-awaited return from a broken wrist on Friday, while Alex Galchenyuk will make his debut in blue and white as the Maple Leafs kick off a two-game series against the Calgary Flames.
Simmonds, 32, hasn't suited up since Feb. 6 against the Vancouver Canucks when he was struck by an Alex Edler clearing attempt above his glove.
The bruising power forward will slot in Friday alongside Jason Spezza and Pierre Engvall on the team's fourth line. Simmonds had five goals in 12 games before he was injured and looked to be finding his footing with his new club.
Galchenyuk, meanwhile, will get a plum opportunity next to John Tavares and William Nylander as he takes the ice for the Maple Leafs. The 27-year-old had eight points in six games with the team's AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, since being acquired last month from the Carolina Hurricanes for Egor Korshkov and defenceman David Warsofsky.
The third selection in the 2012 NHL Draft is on his seventh NHL team and sixth in the past three years. He will be aiming to cash in on the potential he flashed with the Montreal Canadiens that made him a top pick nearly 10 years ago.
Galchenyuk has a single goal across eight games in 2020-21, all with the Ottawa Senators, who took a flier on him in the off-season before flipping him to Carolina along with Cedric Paquette in a deal for Ryan Dzingel.
