Alex Nylander has been assigned to the Toronto Marlies, while the Toronto Maple Leafs have officially activated Jake McCabe from injured reserve.

McCabe and head coach Craig Berube both confirmed that the 31-year-old will return to the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. He missed Toronto’s past five games, after taking a puck to the face during a Nov. 30 contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning. During Thursday’s morning skate, McCabe was paired alongside Chris Tanev.

“Great to have him back,” Berube said Thursday of the McCabe-Tanev pairing. “I think they think alike, they’re on the same page. They’re similar players in how they play the game and how they think the game, and I think that’s a big part of it.”

Nylander was placed on waivers Wednesday, while defenceman Dakota Mermis was claimed by the Utah Hockey Club. During his five-game stint with the Maple Leafs, Nylander did not record a point as Toronto’s bottom-six has struggled to generate any meaningful offence throughout the season. With Bobby McMann potentially returning this weekend, Nylander’s return to the Marlies seemed imminent.

Toronto also recalled Nikita Grebenkin on Thursday morning, while assigning defenceman Marshall Rifai to the Marlies. Rifai did not suit up for the Maple Leafs during his latest stint, operating as the team’s No. 8 defenceman.

Nylander, brother to star Maple Leaf William Nylander, signed a one-year contract with the Marlies in September and turned it into a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs after starting the AHL season with eight goals and 12 points in 14 games. He was recalled amidst a barrage of injuries to the Leafs’ forward group.

Mermis, on the other hand, was signed to a one-year deal by the Maple Leafs at the start of the offseason. The 30-year-old was a teammate of Mitch Marner’s in his first two seasons with the OHL’s London Knights and has spent time with the Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, and most recently, the Minnesota Wild. He suffered a jaw injury in September that kept him out for the start of the season and skated in three games with the Marlies on a conditioning loan, registering one assist in three games. He now returns to an organization that he’s got some familiarity with, albeit in a new location under a new owner.

Nylander will return to the Marlies and now has the ability to be recalled and sent down freely, which may come in handy later on in the season considering how many injuries the team has already battled up front.

The Maple Leafs will host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

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