TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Maple Leafs practised Monday at the MasterCard Centre ahead of Wednesday’s home game against the Minnesota Wild.

- Last week, when James van Riemsdyk and William Nylander had their names surface in trade speculation, head coach Mike Babcock went out of his way to reach out to the two players. "There was a bunch of talk about [van Riemsdyk] and Willy when we were in Calgary and someone told me about it so I just said, 'Just play hard and don't worry about it.' We're not looking to move those guys." The rumours don't really bother van Riemsdyk anymore. "You don't worry about it too much and that comes from experience," the 27-year-old winger said. "I remember going through that sort of thing right after I got drafted and my first couple of years in Philly and it tends to eat at you a little bit more. But now you realize it's completely out of your control and it doesn't really faze you." Van Riemsdyk grew up a New York Yankees fan and saw how intense the media coverage was for the Bronx Bombers. He believes that helped him be ready for the microscope players live under in Toronto. "You see the things that can happen. You see the guys who get traded all the time, so nobody's invincible in that regard." Van Riemsdyk, who currently serves as the Leafs player rep, said he understands the way the business works now, unlike his first few years in the NHL. "You take it a little more personally at that point," he said. "You're a little naive to the fact that those sorts of things happen. You never think it will happen to you. You learn as you go a little bit as far as the different things and the intricacies of building a team."

- Van Riemsdyk scored his 100th goal as a Leaf on Saturday in Vancouver, something he was well aware of thanks to his father. "My dad mentioned it to me after the last game [when he scored No. 99]. He knows all those little tidbits," the New Jersey native said with a smile. After Monday's practice, van Riemsdyk reflected on his trade to Toronto and how it helped his career reach a new level. "It was my big opportunity to kind of show what I could do," van Riemsdyk said. "Randy [Carlyle] gave me a chance to play more minutes, play a more meaningful role and I tried to take that and run with it. He gave me a chance to spread my wings a little bit. It has just been a great place to play and live just with the support that we get. The city, in general, is just a great place to be. I couldn't ask for a better change." Van Riemsdyk is tied with Auston Matthews for the team lead with 11 goals. Considering his strong play of late, he understands why his name is being linked to trade talk. "I'd like to think I'm a productive player," he said with a smile, "and hopefully teams always need those." Babcock was pleased with how van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Mitch Marner performed on Saturday, calling them Toronto's "best line by far" against the Canucks. Babcock met with van Riemsdyk on Monday to go over some of his positive plays recently. "He's becoming a better player, obviously, and he's stronger," the coach said.

- After practising with the Leafs on Monday, Jhonas Enroth met with general manager Lou Lamoriello, who informed the goalie he was being placed on waivers. "Obviously, wasn't going good enough and we're just in the situation where we're making a change," Babcock explained. Enroth started four games, all on the road and all in the second half of a back-to-back, posting an 0-3-1 record with an .872 save percentage. Who will be the backup goalie on Wednesday? "Andy's starting," is all Babcock would say. Following practice, Enroth accompanied the team on their annual visit to The Hospital for Sick Children.

- Before the main practice started on Monday, goalie coach Steve Briere was on the ice with Andersen and Enroth working with an iPad. Andersen had a camera attached his helmet. "That was new for today," Andersen said. "We tested that out to see if we can find something interesting in how I'm tracking the puck." The pre-practice session lasted about 40 minutes and also included a set of strings with a puck attached to help the goalies see the trajectory of the shots. "It's a mix of things I've seen before, but also some new stuff," Andersen said when asked about Briere's tools. While he's worked with similar gadgets before, Andersen said he's never done it this much and never had such a high quality of technology. As for the camera, he's hoping he doesn't have to wear it too many times. "Usually guys tend to shoot for it, try to break it," he said with a smile. "That's probably the worst part." Briere also uses some low-tech props, including a pair of mannequins to simulate screens. "This way you can shoot a little bit harder and not have to worry about injuries," said Andersen, who has never worked with mannequins in the past. Sometimes Briere will attach the mannequins to a rope and pull them across the crease as the shot is coming. "They move more than some other guys once Steve pulls the strings," Andersen said with a chuckle. Here's video of today's pre-practice session with Briere and Andersen:

- Andersen, who missed practice on Friday due to an illness, said he was never in danger of missing Saturday's game. Although he acknowledged he got "winded a bit quicker than usual" because of his lack of time on the ice in the lead up to the game. The Leafs didn't practice on Thursday and didn't hold a morning skate on Saturday because of the 4 p.m. local start. Andersen said by the second period he was feeling much better.

- After sitting out six of seven games as a healthy scratch, Martin Marincin made an impressive return to the Leafs’ lineup Saturday afternoon in Vancouver. "He was big and he moved the puck and he was involved on the offensive blueline and didn't make a lot of mistakes," said Babcock. Marincin led all Leafs defenceman with a 74.19 Corsi For% against the Canucks. (Source: Corsica.hockey) "Marty's got a lot of talent, confidence is the biggest issue for him," Babcock said. "He's got to earn the right to be in every day. He played real good down the stretch for us last year. He's got to find that game on a consistent basis."

- Per Babcock, Matt Hunwick missed practice for maintenance. Last week, the veteran defenceman acknowledged that he's "still managing" issues related to the lower-body injury, which forced him to miss seven games earlier this season. Meanwhile, Matt Martin was sick on Monday and didn't join his teammates on the ice. Peter Holland, who didn't accompany the team on the Western Canada trip, was once again absent. Babcock didn't have any new information on his status.

Practice Lines:

van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner

Hyman-Matthews-Brown

Komarov-Kadri-Soshnikov

Leivo-Nylander-Smith

Rielly-Zaitsev

Gardiner-Carrick

Marincin-Polak

Corrado

Andersen

Enroth