The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled with injuries all season long, which has contributed to their shaky first half of the season. Once the Maple Leafs looked to be healthy once again, the injury bug hit them big time. Auston Matthews was forced to miss a game, but luckily returned for Thursday night's win over the struggling Winnipeg Jets.
Chris Tanev, after just returning for a few games, is forced to miss another extended period of time due to a lower-body injury. Dakota Joshua will also be out long-term with a kidney injury that occurred against the Detroit Red Wings on December 27.
William Nylander's continued absence is a cause for concern
The biggest injury concern is William Nylander. His injury was likely more severe than initially expected. Nylander, who was questionable against the Red Wings on the Dec. 27, did not play and was moved to day-to-day. Nylander began skating with the Maple Leafs on January 1 ahead of their game against the Winnipeg Jets. Nylander did not participate in the morning skate on Saturday and Berube confirmed that he will not be ready for the matchup against the Islanders on Saturday night.
William Nylander is not on the ice for morning skate. He will likely miss his fourth straight game tonight. (Lower-body)@BodogCA
— David Alter (@dalter) January 3, 2026
Progressing well
Ahead of the Leafs' matchup on Long Island, head coach Craig Berube highlighted that the Swede has been progressing in the right direction, and he was hopeful that Nylander could rejoin the team on Monday for their Tuesday Atlantic Division matchup against the Florida Panthers.
"He's progressing," Berube said. "I think he's trending in the right direction, and now my hope is maybe he's back with us Monday on the ice practicing."
This season, Nylander has tallied 14 goals and 27 assists in 33 games. Nylander had a rough December as he produced four assists in his first 10 games of the month; however broke the streak as he has five points in his last two games.
The Maple Leafs will miss Nylander's offensive production and will have to rely on their depth moving forward. Bobby McMann and Nicholas Robertson, in particular, have stepped up and played crucial minutes for the Maple Leafs. Auston Matthews will also need to continue his strong play against a good New York Islanders team. Matthews notched his 14th career hat trick and first of the season on Thursday night. Saturday night will be another test for the Maple Leafs on the Island.