Late yesterday the Leafs loaned Antoine Bibeau back to the Marlies, and he gets the start today. In the corresponding move, they called up Jhonas Enroth even though it is the bye week and the next Leafs action is an expected practice on Friday night.
Backing Bibeau up for the Marlies is Garret Sparks who got the win in a shutout yesterday. There has been no sign of Jeff Glass or Karri Ramo at Marlies games or practices for several weeks. Both are still on PTO contracts with the club at last word.
Enroth has to be called up to the Leafs when Bibeau is sent back down to get playing time since the CBA requires two goalies on the roster even if the team isn’t playing.
16.4 Active Roster Size; Playing Roster.
(a) There shall be a maximum of twenty-three (23) Players on each Club's Active Roster at any one time, provided, however, that, on the date of each season's Trade Deadline, a Club's Active Roster may be increased to any number of Players the Club, in its discretion, so determines, subject to Article 50.
(b) Clubs are not permitted to Loan Players where the result of such Loan(s) would reduce the Club's Active Roster below eighteen (18) skaters and two (2) goaltenders. However, Clubs will not be required to Recall Players to maintain the minimum eighteen (18) skaters and two (2) goaltenders on days which they do not play an NHL Game, provided that the deficiency below those thresholds is a result of an injury that has caused the removal of such disabled Player from the Active Roster.
(c) Except in case of emergency, there shall be no reduction of the required minimum Playing Rosters of the Clubs, below eighteen (18) skaters and two (2) goaltenders.
While it is good that at least one of the contenders for the backup spot is getting some playing time, Enroth is only rarely starting. He did get the win in one of the Marlies games in Winnipeg last week.
Given the results of the most recent back-to-back games, and how poorly Frederik Andersen played last night, maybe it is long past time that Bibeau either got a start against a serious threat of a team (Tampa with most of their top players on IR doesn’t count) so the Leafs know what they have there, or else he needs to be replaced with a reliable backup who can play ten or so games in the second half of the season.
In the meantime the situation is partly this:
And a lot of this:
And that is not how a serious team should be operating.
