Update: O'Neill Will Not be Sent to the Marlies

According to reports out this morning ^, Jeff O'Neill will NOT be sent down to the Marlies, at least not for now.

Form our previous post, we can see now that for the short-term, Jeff O'Neill's career, at least with the Leafs, appears to be in limbo. BY opting not to send O'Neill to the AHL Marlies today, Maurice is sending O'Neill as clear a message as one can; pick it up or pack it up. O'Neill will be on the hot-spot for the coming few weeks, essentially proving to his coach and GM that he is worth the roster spot and the ice-time.

This also demonstrates that Maurice is a man of his word. He said he thinks the world of O'Neill and that he may just need a bit more time to get his timing back. Well, now he appears to have it.

Speaking of 'bubble' players, our favourite whipping boy Nik Antropov had just over 4 minutes of ice-time against Detroit last evening after sustaining a 'lower-body' injury. At this point, would or should anyone be surprised to see him demoted? And how can Leafs brass justify paying this guys $1 million dollar salary, but couldn't be bothered to offer the same amount to Lindros, a guy who actually contributed last season?