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As the NHL enters the stretch run, clubs have to be concerned just as much about illness spreading through their room as they do with injuries affecting the availability of key players. The Toronto Maple Leafs were without William Nylander for weekend games against Anaheim and Montreal because he was sick, and at practice on Monday two other players were under the weather.
Team captain John Tavares (who scored the Leafs only goal in the 2-1 OT loss to the Canadiens on Saturday) and defenseman Justin Holl (who led all blueliners with over 25 minutes of ice time vs. the Habs) were absent.
Forward Zach Hyman did not skate because of a maintenance day and Kyle Clifford was given the day to attend a funeral, which led the Leafs to recall forward Pontus Aberg from the Toronto Marlies.
It is unknown to this point whether Nylander, Tavares or Holl will be available for Tuesday’s contest against the Arizona Coyotes.
Goalie Frederik Andersen participated for the full length of practice along with Michael Hutchinson and Jack Campbell. Leafs Nation Network’s Paul Hendrick reported that Campbell was getting the majority of the reps while Andersen and Hutchinson worked with Toronto goaltending coach Steve Briere, but head coach Sheldon Keefe did not rule out the possibility of Andersen returning between the pipes.
Andersen was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Feb 3rd, so the Leafs starter would be available to come off IR on Tuesday to face Arizona, who will play in Montreal on Monday.
We have an Ilya Mikheyev sighting at the #leafs practice rink. He was given a 90-day recovery period after a skate blade cut an artery and tendons in his right wrist on Dec. 27.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 10, 2020
He's working on his skating stride this morning with Barb Underhill. pic.twitter.com/GSFX2xA543
There was a bit of encouraging news on the injury front, as forward Ilya Mikheyev took to the ice for the first time since suffering a wrist laceration. The big Russian went through skating drills with coach Barb Underhill, but the fact that he was on the ice should not be interpreted as a sign of moving up the timetable of his possible return.
Mikheyev was injured against the New Jersey Devils on December 27 and will be medically evaluated in late March.
Tracking the progress of injuries will be a key aspect of what the Leafs will be capable of doing before the February 24th trade deadline. Defenseman Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci are currently on long-term injured reserve. Rielly suffered a fractured foot vs. Florida on January 12th and the initial prognosis was that he would be out a minimum of two months. Ceci suffered a high ankle sprain in New York last Wednesday.
GM Kyle Dubas indicated last week that Rielly will be looked at by the club’s medical staff sometime this week to see how far along the healing process is, while Ceci will be re-evaluated in a month. If it is likely that both will return at some point before the end of the regular season, the Leafs have to keep the cap space available for the blueliners when they are activated.
If either or both are expected to be out for the rest of the regular season, then Dubas will have the ability to add a player at the deadline with cap space made available by LTIR. This could make a world of difference as the deadline approaches, since Rielly/Ceci being on LTIR would allow the Leafs to pursue rental options. If there is any doubt of the date of the return, Dubas will be limited to making a hockey deal by clearing a salary from his roster to make room for the acquisition of a defenseman.
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Listen to today's @TheLeafsConvo, discussing the #Leafs OT loss to the #Habs. https://t.co/q7o0sTVaBU
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) February 9, 2020
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