The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed their star winger, William Nylander, on IR. Nylander's injury is retroactive to December 27, as he was injured in the second period during the 7-5 Leafs win over the Ottawa Senators.
Nylander's injury occurred during an awkward play with Sens defenceman Artem Zub behind Ottawa's net. Nylander has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury.
The Maple Leafs have placed F William Nylander on injured reserve retroactive to December 27, 2025.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) January 5, 2026
D Marshall Rifai has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Nylander's injury progression
William Nylander had looked to be progressing well, but it seems to have taken a turn for the worse. The Swedish forward was a game-time decision ahead of their matchup against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, but has skated once since then. He took the ice ahead of the Maple Leafs' practice on Monday, which was the last time he had been on the ice. What was originally a day-to-day injury has turned into a placement on IR.
The Maple Leafs will miss Nylander's impact as the team heads into the second half of the season on Tuesday night versus the Florida Panthers. In a crucial Atlantic Division matchup, the Maple Leafs will have to rely on their red-hot centre, Auston Matthews. In response to Nylander's injury, the Leafs have recalled defenceman Marshall Rifai. Rifai was recently on a conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies, as he was injured during a preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Maple Leafs have dealt with injuries throughout the entirety of the season, and it doesn't seem to be getting better anytime soon. Chris Tanev may be out for the rest of the season with a lower-body injury to his groin, while Dakota Joshua suffered a kidney injury in an overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on December 28th. The Maple Leafs are hoping for a Nylander return soon, as it can prove to be costly heading down the final stretch of the season.