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The Toronto Maple Leafs made the first large swath of roster cuts on Thursday, just prior to the first of their two remaining preseason games against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena.
The Leafs demoted forward Matthew Barbolini, Jacob Frasca, Mathieu Gosselin, Braeden Kressler, Brandon Lisowsky, Robert Mastrosimone, Marko Sikic, Zach Solow, Sam Stevens, and Ty Voit, defensemen Matt Anderson, Jacob Bengtsson, Ryan McCleary, Tommy Miller, Rhett Parsons, Chaz Sharpe, and William Villeneuve, and goaltenders Dennis Hildeby and Vyacheslav Peksa to the AHL Toronto Marlies.
The club also placed forward Nick Abruzzese on waivers. The 25-year-old Harvard alum was a 2019 fourth round pick and had 52 points (16 goals, 36 assists) in 71 games with the AHL Marlies last season, and has seen spot duty with the Leafs since signing with them in 2022, but has not been able to crack the NHL lineup on an extended basis.
Toronto will once again play a decidedly second-tier lineup on the road against the Wings on Thursday, likely holding back their stars for the exhibition finale against Detroit at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.