Phil Kessel will make his much-anticipated debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening.
Kessel received clearance to play following today's skate and is scheduled to be in the lineup this evening when the Leafs host the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Recovering from surgery he had in May to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum, Kessel underwent a battery of tests on the surgically repaired shoulder Monday and got the green light this morning.
The 22-year-old forward practiced with teammates this morning, skating on the second line with Matt Stajan and Jason Blake. To make room on the Leafs' roster, forward Jiri Tlusty was returned to the AHL Toronto Marlies.
Great to see Kessel back in the lineup tonight. The Maple Leafs could use his offensive punch 5 on 5. Not sure how much of an impact he'll have out of the gate given the amount of time he's had off, but hopefully he can be a consistent threat out there for the Maple Leafs. They really need him to be a 30+ goal scorer for the length of his time with the Maple Leafs.
Excited to see him get to work.
