Leafs place Petter Granberg on waivers

Many people didn’t even know that Petter Granberg was on the Leafs’ roster still, but today, they were introduced to him in the same breath as their mutual departure. The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed the young shutdown defenceman on waivers, in an attempt to assign him to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL

Granberg was up with the Leafs on a technicality of sorts. In June, he suffered a torn Achilles while doing offseason training in his native Sweden, and was originally given a timeline of four months to recover. While a little behind schedule, the 23-year-old looks close to returning.

Granberg’s assignment was a foregone conclusion. He didn’t impress at all with the Leafs down the stretch last year, playing in seven games while picking up no points and putting up basement-level possession numbers. He’s not the type to fit into a “Babcock system” either; as it stands, Granberg struggles with mobility and isn’t particularly brilliant with the puck.

It’s very likely that he’ll clear waivers, both with that considered and the oversaturated market. If he does, he’ll have to fight ot get his spot back on the Marlies. The team has found incredible success without him, and both Justin Holl and James Martin have impressed in relief for what was practically Granberg’s reserved roster spot. Last year, Granberg scored a single goal and added 14 assists in 53 games and spent heavy time on the penalty kill.

The earliest that Granberg can be assigned to the Marlies is around noon tomorrow; hours before their game against the Binghamton Senators.