Leafs Place Groulx on Waivers as Joshua and Tavares Near Returns

The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed forward Bo Groulx on waivers, a move first reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that became all but inevitable once Dakota Joshua returned to the active roster from a core muscle injury. Groulx, 26, had already been skating on the periphery of the lineup, appearing in fewer than half of Toronto's games this season and last dressing against Seattle on October 28. He has gone scoreless in seven contests with a plus-1 rating, averaging just over eight minutes of ice time per game while delivering 12 hits, but he has not brought the same energy he showed after last season's trade deadline, when he scored three goals and five points in 13 games and earned a two-year, one-way contract carrying an $812,500 cap hit. Joshua's return has reshuffled the bottom six: the 30-year-old made his season debut on Saturday against Vancouver and immediately made an impact, leading the team with five shots on goal and seven hits. There is also the John Tavares factor, with the veteran centre back on the ice at Monday's practice after missing two weeks with a lower-body injury that had him listed as week-to-week. Should Groulx clear waivers on Tuesday, he will return to the Marlies, who sit at 6-4-1-0 early in the season and would welcome back one of their most productive forwards from last spring's title run.