Per Marlies announcer Todd Crocker, the Marlies had an interesting new acquisition at practice today.

Well, yes; Tobias Lindberg attended his first practice as a Toronto Marlie, but someone else made an unexpected appearance....

That's right; Matt Frattin, one of the players traded to the Senators yesterday. The same Matt Frattin that we just can't quit, is still with the Marlies.

So, what's going on? Is this like that episode of Seinfeld where George shows up for work in the hopes everyone will just forget that he quit the day before?

Not quite; Matt Frattin is still technically an Ottawa Senator, but the organization has loaned him back to the Marlies, as teams are allowed to do. His NHL rights remain with Ottawa, but as long as he's in the AHL, at least for the foreseeable future, he'll remain in Toronto.

The details of this bizarre transaction- such as who is actually paying him, and how long the loan will last- are unclear at this point. My guess is given Frattin's one-way contract of $850,000, the Leafs have agreed to pay at least something. As for how long, it wouldn't surprise me if Frattin spent the balance of the season with the Marlies. He's been a key contributor all season, and the Sens' AHL affiliate in Binghamton is, to put it kindly, not going anywhere fast.

This, if nothing else, is an interesting paper transaction to the Phaneuf deal. The Leafs give up an SPC, but keep the player on their AHL roster, possibly for the balance of the season.