The Toronto Maple Leafs had nine games to make up due to postponements necessitated by the Omicron variant and Ontario’s limitations on attendance and earlier this week, the NHL announced a revised schedule. Eight of the nine games have been slotted in the 17 days after the All-Star break previously reserved for the Olympics.
The only game not scheduled between February 7 – 24 is the makeup of the January 17th home game vs. New Jersey. That game has been rescheduled for Monday, January 31 at Scotiabank Arena as part of a home-and-home, back-to-back against the Devils.
On Thursday, the province of Ontario pronounced that a maximum of 500 fans would be allowed in Toronto and Ottawa between January 31 and February 20, an increase of 50% capacity from February 21 to March 13, and full capacity on March 14.
That means the games against Anaheim on January 26th will be in front of no fans, games against the Devils on the 31st, Carolina on February 7th, Pittsburgh on the 17th and St. Louis on the 19th with be played in a virtually empty building (500 fans), with less than 10,000 fans on February 24th vs. Minnesota, the 26th vs. Detroit, March 2nd vs. Buffalo, the 5th vs. Vancouver, the 8th vs. Seattle, and the 10th vs. Arizona, before the returning to 100% attendance on March 15th against Dallas.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated that the Heritage Classic in Hamilton on March 13 is still up in the air, in spite of it being held outdoor at Tim Horton Stadium. If the province maintains its attendance limitations for that event, it is likely that the NHL will postpone the game until later in the year or next season. With the Leafs schedule so loaded in March and April, it is likely that the game will be moved to 2022-23, but the league is already taking a significant monetary loss from the fan limitations that Ontario has put in place.
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Another Leafs prospect is slated to participate in the Beijing Olympics. 2021 draftee Matthew Knies and 2019 draft pick Nick Abruzzese were selected to play for Team USA last week and on Friday, winger Pontus Holmberg was named to the roster for Team Sweden.
Holmberg, 22, was selected in the sixth round (156th overall) by Toronto in 2018 and signed to a two-year entry-level contract by the Leafs last June, but is eligible to play in Beijing since he is playing with Vaxjo in the SHL this season.
Tre Kronors OS-trupp! 💥🇸🇪
"Sett till lagdel för lagdel är det här Tre Kronor-laget minst lika bra som andra nationers OS-lag", säger förbundskapten Johan Garpenlöv.
Another potential Leaf-affiliated player that was on the radar for the Olympics next month will likely not come to pass. Marlies forward Josh Ho-Sang was reportedly in consideration for Team Canada since he was on an AHL contract, but the 25-year-old forward was diagnosed with a concussion earlier this week.
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