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Coach Mike Babcock indicated Thursday that he expects Zaitsev (illness) to play in the evening's matchup against the Predators, James Mirtle of The Athletic Canada reports.
Zaitsev -- who has missed the last five games -- finally appears on the cusp of retaking the ice for a Maple Leafs club that could use some reinforcements after dropping a close one to the Lightning on Tuesday. The blueliner hasn't made as much of an offensive impact in his second NHL season with Toronto, tallying just 12 points (four goals, eight assists) over 51 games thus far after notching 36 over 82 contests a season ago. Zaitsev's absence from the power play has been a big deterrent from a fantasy standpoint, but that seems unlikely to change anytime soon.
