Maple Leafs need Fraser Minten right now. What can they expect from him?

... When Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving called Minten on Monday afternoon in the middle of the 20-year-old’s lunch — a healthy lunch for the pro, no doubt — the young centre wasn’t overwhelmed. It’s a call-up he was ready for.

“They believe in me,” Minten said confidently. “That’s why I’m here.”

Injuries and a lack of bottom-six centre options have dictated that the Leafs need their 2022 second-round pick right now. Minten has played some of his best hockey after returning from a high-ankle sprain injury during a rookie tournament game against the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 15. In his first four AHL games, the Marlies loaded Minten up with top-six minutes alongside talented players like Alex Nylander and Nikita Grebenkin. He notched two goals and four points in five games. Both of his goals had come at five-on-five, an area the Leafs have lacked offensive punch lately.

By bringing up Minten, the Leafs are not rolling the dice with, say, a recently drafted prospect. They are bringing up a known commodity.

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