Van Ryn and Frogren ready to play

Leafs' defencemen Mike Van Ryn and Jonas Frogren both practised yesterday and both have been telling everyone they are ready to play, but that doesn't mean they will automatically be in the Toronto lineup at Buffalo tomorrow night.

There's a good chance call-up Jaime Sifers will get another game after a steady performance in his NHL debut Monday. Frogren's injury was supposed to keep him out of the game for about four weeks and it's been only two weeks, so the Leafs will make him undergo another MRI before he is officially cleared to play. His injury is easy to quantify compared to Van Ryn's injuries.

For Van Ryn, it's a little more complicated. He suffered facial injuries, a broken hand and a concussion when Montreal's Tom Kostopoulos slammed him into the glass from behind five weeks ago. Kostopoulos was suspended 3 games for this incident.

The stitches have come out and his cast is off, but the injury that can't be X-rayed, the concussion, must still be checked. Before playing, he has to undergo a test to see if his brain function compares favourably to the baseline test he did at the start of training camp.

Van Ryn was playing very well before he got injured and his return would prove to be a big boost for the Maple Leafs' depleted defense.

More to come tomorrow.

Some excerpts are from Paul Hunter's article.