Kari Ramo took another step in his return to the NHL on Tuesday, signing a PTO with the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate, the Marlies.
The deal, first reported by TSN, comes one day after Toronto placed backup netminder Jhonas Enroth on waivers.
“Obviously, wasn’t going good enough,” head coach Mike Babcock said of the decision to waive Enroth, per TSN. “We’re just in a situation where we’re making a change.”
(Enroth cleared today, FYI.)
As for Ramo, he’s an interesting figure. The 30-year-old suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Calgary this past February and, at the time of the injury, led all Flames netminders in starts, with 33.
Prior to that, he’d rebounded from a poor start to the year -- which included Calgary waiving him -- and, in January, then-head coach Bob Hartley called Ramo “probably one of the hottest goalies in the league.”
So it’s easy to see why Toronto would be interested.
Of course, Ramo is coming off a major knee injury and has basically been shelved for 10 months. He’s been practicing with the Leafs, but this ATO with the Marlies will give him a chance to test the knee in a game situation, and knock off some of the rust that’s surely accumulated.
Ramo is believed to be close to receiving medical clearance for a return to action.