Leafs recall Mark Arcobello from Marlies

Photo Credit: Christian Bonin / TSGPhoto.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs have pulled a member of their opening right roster back into the fold, calling up 27-year-old Mark Arcobello from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies this afternoon.

The move comes a little bit out of nowhere, as nobody was distinctly injured during last night’s 6-3 loss to the New York Islanders. If one were to make an educated guess, it might be possible that fellow Nick Spaling, who hasn’t been in the lineup since December 17th, might now have a timeline for his shoulder injury that would require him to be placed on Injured Reserve.

Whatever the case, the recall doesn’t appear to have emergency status attached to it at this time, meaning they expect Arcobello to be up for more than just today.

If nothing else, Arcobello has earned another look with the team. Some were disappointed that the 5’8 native of Milford, CT went pointless in his seven-game initial look, particularly because he was placed in offensive situations more frequently than the rest of the team, but it may be a little early to write him off. His possession numbers were some of the team’s brightest, and his lines were generating an above average number of attempted shots.

Moreover, everything surrounding that stint implies that he can get the puck in the net. Last year was a good example of that, as, despite bouncing around four teams and playing lower minutes on them, he scored 17 goals in 77 games. After being sent down the to the Marlies, he became one of their top offensive catalysts, taking a minimum of one shot in all 23 games he played in (averaging 3.5 per), and seeing twelve of those eighty opportunities find twine. He also contributed fifteen assists, putting him at a 1.17 points-per-game rate and seventh in the AHL scoring race, despite having games in hand on everybody in the top ten. Arcobello had no points in Toronto’s loss to Lake Erie last night.