AHL suspension will not stop Scott Sabourin from playing an NHL game

Toronto Maple Leafs/Marlies forward Scott Sabourin has received quite a bit of media coverage over the last 48 hours after a 23-second sequence in which he ran over Habs top goalie prospect Cayden Primeau and then proceeded to drop his gloves and absolutely tee off on Lukas Vejdemo, who was not exactly a willing combatant.

Sabourin was issued 17-minutes in penalties, including a game misconduct, effectively ending his night at 23 seconds of ice-time and was subsequently suspended for one game by the AHL on Sunday.

With his suspension issued at the AHL level, there was some talk about how that would effect his NHL call-up on Saturday. Though there was never an indication that the Leafs had intended to actually use Sabourin in Sunday's matchup with his former club, the Ottawa Senators, the concern was out there as to what that could possibly mean for his potential season debut for the Leafs.

Per The Athletic's James Mirtle, Sabourin's AHL suspension will not prevent him from playing in the NHL this evening if the Leafs do intend to dress the 28-year-old on Sunday.

Of course, this may all mean nothing, as Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe had confirmed on Saturday that lineup changes are unlikely at this point due to the team not having a lot of flexibility at this time.

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