Breaking: Leafs finally revealed why Hutchinson is missing and Sparks is back!

Garret Sparks made an unexpected return this morning as he was the only backup goalie present at the Toronto Maple Leafs' practice. 

A few days ago, Sparks' locker was removed from the Leafs dressing room as it was later revealed by head coach Mike Babcock that Sparks would be spending time with the goalie coaching staff in order to get his confidence back, while Michael Hutchinson would become the backup goalie for Frederik Andersen until further notice. 

However, Hutchinson was nowhere to be found this morning. 

Babcock finally faced the media to talk about his goaltending situation ahead of tomorrow's Game 1 of the series against the Boston Bruins. It seems like Hutchinson was needed in another room as his wife gave birth on Wednesday, per TSN's Kristen Shilton. 

Shilton also reported that Sparks will be travelling with the team to Boston for tomorrow's contest. 

Hutchinson was acquired by the Leafs from the Florida Panthers last December in return for a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He played in five games for Toronto right after, as both Andersen and Sparks were sidelined with injuries. After posting a 2-3-0 record with a .914 save percentage, Hutchinson was sent down to the Marlies, where he’s gone 14-4-1 with a .914 save percentage since.

The second half of Sparks’ first full NHL season hasn't been all that great. Since Dec. 28, Sparks has taken part in 12 games, posting a 3-8-0 record with an .898 save percentage.