Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Dakota Mermis has been called up on an emergency basis on Sunday and will play against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Head coach Craig Berube confirmed the news to reporters after the game on Saturday, while adding that injured blueliners Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson won’t be travelling with the team to Raleigh. The Leafs were forced to play with only five defencemen during their overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens, which saw Mitch Marner take reps on the blue line for a few shifts.

“We really stayed patient with our game,” Marner said on how the Leafs’ defencemen stepped up their game despite being shorthanded. “Our D, when we really needed them, they were unreal for us. Some big key blocks, some key stick plays. As a group, we committed to playing defence-first. That’s something you’re happy to see.”

The reason the Leafs had to play shorthanded was that they did not have enough cap space to activate Jani Hakanpaa or make a recall without being shorthanded for a night. While the Leafs certainly did an admirable job despite the circumstances, having the sixth defenceman will surely be a welcome sight. Now that they got through Saturday’s game with five defenders, the Leafs are allowed to make an emergency recall though there were some limitations on who they could bring up which is why Mermis was the guy who got the call.

Mermis has had quite the tumultuous campaign to say the least, which began with a jaw surgery that sidelined him through the entire training camp and the first few months of the regular season. After being assigned to the AHL on a conditioning loan, he was claimed off waivers by the Utah Hockey Club where he got into a game before being reclaimed by the Leafs a few weeks later.

He has since settled into being part of the rotation on the loaded Toronto Marlies blueline while also occasionally being called up when the Leafs have run into injury troubles. Mermis has played in 32 AHL games where he recorded seven assists in that span. He originally joined the team on July 2nd by signing a one-year, one-way contract that carries an AAV of $775K.