Everything is going well in Leafs Nation with our Toronto Maple Leafs having a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games and banging on the door of the playoffs. So, of course they had to get some bad news regarding the latest Leafs star to go down with an injury.
At Monday morning skate ahead of the Leafs hosting the Minnesota Wild, Leafs head coach Craig Berube provided an update on William Nylander's current injury and it does not look good.
Craig Berube on William Nylander's groin injury:
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) January 19, 2026
"I don't know how long the timeline will be for him ... I'm not sure when he's going to be on the ice"@TSN_Sports
"Lower body, groin. I don't know how long the timeline will be. When he feels good enough to get on the ice & he goes out there & skates and it feels good, I expect him to be back fairly quick. Until then, I'm not sure when he's going to be on the ice," Berube said via The Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan.
While the full quote is a little bit more reassuring that this won't be a long absence, it is still signaling that there is no defined timeline for Nylander's recovery. And considering just how long Anthony Stolarz has been out for after initially seeming like a short-term issue, this doesn't feel good.
Leafs could miss William Nylander for an uncertain amount of time
That is not the best thing to hear as the Leafs are trying to wedge their way into a playoff spot but the teams around them just keep on winning games as well. They will need Nylander to help them with that push, of course, and suddenly the offense doesn't look all that appealing without the Swedish star on the top wing.
It doesn't help that the Leafs also have a very tough schedule ahead of them this week. After hosting the Wild and their rejuvenating sense of contendership after trading for Quinn Hughes, the division-leading Detroit Red Wings come to visit Toronto on Wednesday, just before Mitch Marner and his Vegas Golden Knights get the reunion for Friday. Oh, and of course the Colorado Avalanche come to town on Sunday and the red-hot Buffalo Sabres cross the border next Tuesday.
It is just an onslaught of teams who have already guaranteed their spot in the playoffs or are on a historic heater that has pushed them up and over the Leafs in the process. Even if Nylander is out for a couple of those games, it will be a very tough pill to swallow.
Let's just hope there's some magic cure to keep Nylander off the injured list for the time being.
Through 37 games played, Nylander has scored 17 goals and a team-leading 48 points as one of the most consistent offensive weapons on this team.