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Toronto Maple Leafs Waive Frank Corrado, Claim Red Wings’ Alexey Marchenko

By James Reeve

Jan 10, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Alexey Marchenko (53) with the puck during the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Alexey Marchenko (53) with the puck during the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed young defenceman Frank Corrado on waivers and claimed Alexey Marchenko from the Detroit Red Wings.

Corrado, 23, will now be exposed to other NHL teams and could be claimed if a team believes he is worth taking.

If no NHL team is willing to take on the struggling defenceman, he will be placed in the Toronto Marlies and will have the opportunity to play regularly and continue to develop.

Fans have been calling for Corrado to be given more opportunities this season, with #FreeCorrado becoming a popular tag for fans on Twitter.

But in return, the Leafs bring in a fairly experienced right-shot defenceman in Marchenko.

The 6-foot-3, 209 pound Russian has played in 110 regular season games for the Red Wings, also making 104 appearances for their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

His experience will be a benefit to the Leafs, who are in need of some changes on defence. Marchenko is likely to push for playing time along the team’s bottom-pairing, which is regularly held by Roman Polak and Matt Hunwick.

With the Leafs conceding 11 goals across two recent games, the need for some freshness on the blue line has become evident once again.

Marchenko will provide the Leafs with a defensive-minded player and the team won’t expect much in the way of offensive production from the 25-year-old.

He has just 19 total points (three goals, 16 assists) in his 110 NHL games and will likely be used in more of a shut-down role.

His HERO chart portrays him as a player that has the potential to produce top-four defensive plays, helping to keep shots to a minimum, and the addition could be a welcome one.

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Fans of the Red Wings have already started to take to Twitter to voice their displeasure with the loss of what they see as being a young player with plenty of potential.

For the Leafs, Marchenko appears to be an upgrade over Corrado and could find himself having a larger impact as the season plays on.

Next: Should The Leafs Trade For Shattenkirk?

What do you think of the moves the Toronto Maple Leafs have made? Are you glad to see the team claim Marchenko? Are you disappointed to see Corrado potentially leave for nothing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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