Simon Benoit to rejoin Maple Leafs lineup vs. Panthers, Dakota Mermis out
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be welcoming Simon Benoit back to the lineup on Tuesday night as they visit the Florida Panthers for the first time since the 2025 NHL Playoffs.
Benoit was absent from the Leafs lineup on Saturday as he flew home to attend a funeral. He re-joined the team on Monday for practice with head coach Craig Berube confirming that he would be back in the lineup against the Panthers. Dakota Mermis, meanwhile, will be the one coming out as the Leafs look to start stringing some wins together amidst a slow start to the season.
The Benoit-for-Mermis swap is the only change the Leafs will be making to their lineup, which checks out considering the current lineup popped off for seven goals by seven different players in a 7-2 blowout of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Easton Cowan will remain in a top-six role alongside John Tavares and William Nylander, while Max Domi will get another shot alongside Auston Matthews after he tallied two assists in the win.
Berube offered a couple of grim injury updates on defenceman Brandon Carlo and goaltender Anthony Stolarz. The former suffered a setback in a lower-body injury he sustained against the Los Angeles Kings on November 13 and will now ‘probably’ require surgery, according to his coach, while the latter remains sidelined with ‘no real improvement’ in Berube’s words.
Craig Berube says Anthony Stolarz is still not on the ice
“No real improvement there”
The Carlo loss is a big one for the Maple Leafs, who acquired the defenceman at the 2025 Trade Deadline for a hefty package that included forward Fraser Minten and a first-round pick. Stolarz had started the season poorly and could likely use the extra time to recover and get back into game shape, especially considering the encouraging early returns on Dennis Hildeby’s play between the pipes.
The Leafs will wrap up their road trip this week with tilts against the Panthers on Tuesday and then the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
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