Maple Leafs reclaim Dakota Mermis from Utah

What’s old is new again as on Friday the Toronto Maple Leafs reclaimed defenseman Dakota Mermis off waivers from the Utah Hockey Club.

The move marks a return to the Ontario capital for Mermis who just over three weeks ago headed to Utah after being claimed off waivers from the Maple Leafs. During his brief tenure in Utah, Mermis saw a lone appearance, a 5-4 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks in which he finished with two shots and a minus-two rating.

A 30-year-old Illinois native, Mermis is a veteran of 75 NHL games, counting stops with the former Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild, and Utah. Through it all, the well-traveled rearguard has collected four goals and eight assists for 12 points with 39 penalty minutes.

Last July, Mermis landed a one-year contract with the Maple Leafs as an unrestricted free agent, however he never made an appearance with the club after suffering a jaw injury in training camp. Mermis was later assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on a conditioning stint that saw him record one assist in three outings.

Should the Maple Leafs choose to not keep Mermis on the active roster, the club will be able to assign him to the Marlies on a full-time basis without him having to clear waivers, if no other teams placed a claim Friday.

In all, Mermis has seen 434 career contests at the AHL level in which he has registered 21 goals and 119 assists for 140 points. At the junior level, Mermis is a two-time OHL champion, counting titles with the London Knights and Oshawa Generals, underscored by a Memorial Cup title with the latter in 2015.

Standing 24-13-2 on the season, the Maple Leafs sit atop the Atlantic Division with 50 points. The club is riding a two-game win streak and will look to make it three-straight victories Saturday versus the rival Boston Bruins.