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VAN RYN HOPEFUL
Injured Leafs defenceman Mike Van Ryn was in the dressing room following practice Monday and is hoping to get a shot at returning to the team next season.
Recovering from a serious knee injury that has kept him out of action the entire season, Van Ryn has made it clear he would like to be part of the team going forward.
"We'll see what happens, I'm not even back skating 100% so there's nothing to talk about yet," Van Ryn said. "I would like to stay here and be a part of it."
Though much depends on what happens in the off-season, Leafs coach Ron Wilson wouldn't rule out Van Ryn's return.
"We missed him last year and to an extent missed him a lot this year," Wilson said of the injury-riddled blueliner. "Look at our record last year -- we were five or six games over .500 in the 26 games he played. He's good on the power play and every situation. Hopefully things work out for him."
SPOILER ALERT
Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn would much rather be preparing for his first taste of NHL playoff action but failing that relishes the opportunity to have some say in the post-season race.
"We want to have an imprint on what some teams do in the playoffs," Schenn said. "We're not a team that's just going to get pushed over."
LOOSE LEAFS
J-S Giguere will start two of the final three games in the Toronto net beginning Tuesday ... Though forward Brayden Irwin was on the ice for practice Monday, it is unlikely he will play in any of the team's remaining three games. The Toronto native got a taste of the NHL against Boston and Buffalo ... Defenceman Tomas Kaberle has yet to officially be approached to be part of the Czech Republic at the world championship.
