ELMONT, N.Y. —Alex Steeves had been mysteriously absent over the past week despite being on the Toronto Maple Leafs' active roster.
It turns out he was hurt.
"He got injured while training off the ice here while training in the gym," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe explained. "It was pretty minor and I think he's through that now."
The club announced that Steeves had been sent back to the Marlies on Tuesday morning.
Steeves played his third game of the season on Mar. 7 when the Maple Leafs visited the New Jersey Devils. He logged just 6:11 of ice time on a line with Michael Bunting and Pontus Holmberg. Since that contest, Steeves had bounced up and down as a paper transaction, but it wasn't clear what the players' status was when he wasn't on the ice for optional skates, which are typically mandatory for healthy scratches.
The 23-year-old has 17 goals and 28 assists in 55 games with the Toronto Marlies this season. He was a late call-up to the Leafs this season after playing in three games with Toronto last season.
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