Marner returns after missing 11 games with ankle injury

Mitch Marner is back.

The Toronto Maple Leafs activated him from injured reserve Wednesday. Head coach Sheldon Keefe later told reporters, including NHL.com's Dave McCarthy, that Marner will be in the lineup against the Colorado Avalanche for the evening's game.

Marner missed the last 11 contests with an ankle injury. He was hurt during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 9.

The Maple Leafs went 4-7-0 in his absence. That interval includes the team's sixth consecutive loss Nov. 19, after which the club fired Mike Babcock and replaced him with Keefe.

Toronto placed Marner on long-term injured reserve with an expected initial recovery timeline of four weeks on Nov. 10. He was eligible to be activated off LTIR as of Wednesday.

The 22-year-old ranks third among Leafs skaters in assists (14) and fifth in points (18) this season despite his absence from the lineup.