The Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned defenceman Dakota Mermis to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on a long-term injured reserve conditioning loan, the team announced on Monday.
D Dakota Mermis has been assigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an LTIR conditioning loan.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) January 12, 2026
Mermis was placed on IR on Dec. 8 after he was injured in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Mermis received a knee-on-knee hit from Lightning forward gage Goncalves in the team’s 2-0 win. Goncalves was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct on the play.
After the game, Leafs head coach Craig Berube was angry that a suspension was not handed out for Goncalves following the game, when Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann received a suspension for high sticking during that same game later in the week.
“It wasn’t much. I thought it was more him getting bumped. I know you gotta be in control of your stick but I don’t think it’s worth a suspension,” Berube said. “We lose [Mermis] for probably a month at least, there’s nothing that I’ve heard.”
As it turns out, Mermis has missed just over a month and is now returning to the ice on a conditioning loan for the first time.
In 11 games played this season, Mermis has recorded one goal and 11 shots on net across 14:19 of ice time per night.
The Maple Leafs have won three straight games, but begin a daunting road trip on Monday with a stop in Colorado to face the league-best Avalanche.
