Things haven’t been looking good so far for the Toronto Maple Leafs this 2025-26 NHL season. Currently sitting dead last in the Eastern Conference with a 9-10-3 record, the Maple Leafs certainly didn’t envision this happening after coming so close to advancing to the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs just last season.
It also doesn’t help that they have been smacked with injury woes to many of their regular players both on offense and defense to start the season. However, with the potential return of the stars coming soon, could those much-needed reinforcements be on the horizon for the Leafs? Here, we will take a look at the latest updates for the key injured players on the squad.
Maple Leafs injury update: Are the return of the stars on the horizon?
Matthew Knies
Out with a lower-body injury since last week, Leafs head coach Craig Berube said that Matthew Knies is close to returning to game action, perhaps as early as this Wednesday. Currently second in assists and third in points in team scoring, Toronto can’t wait to have one of their main offensive weapons back.
Auston Matthews
The Maple Leafs current downward spiral just so happens to coincide with when Auston Matthews went down with a lower-body injury five games ago. During that stretch, Toronto has gone a dismal 1-4 while being outscored 17-12. The good news is that Matthews hasn’t been ruled out for Wednesday’s match against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Leafs really need their captain back badly, struggling or no struggling.
Nicolas Roy
Nicolas Roy has been out of action due to an upper body injury suffered in the game against the Chicago Blackhawks four games ago. Roy was seen back in practice on Monday and could be returning to action soon in the coming week. He should help strengthen the Leafs bottom six upon his return.
Anthony Stolarz
The news on Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz isn’t as optimistic as he has yet to return to the ice, as his lower-body injury now seems a lot worse than initially expected. As Berube mentioned, he is still “a ways away”, as per Jonas Siegel. So it looks like Joseph Woll will be relied upon to hold down the fort for quite a lot longer until Stolarz returns to resume their tandem deployment.
Chris Tanev
The Maple Leafs defense has been in shambles without their top defensive defenseman in Chris Tanev. With the scary-looking injury that Tanev suffered at the time, it is comforting to know that it wasn’t season or career-ending. Especially after seeing him take the ice ahead of Leafs practice on Monday. On the other hand, it will still probably take a little longer before he sees any action as Leafs GM Brad Treliving said they will have a better idea this coming week on his timeline.
Brandon Carlo
Brandon Carlo had been sidelined with a lower body injury and was placed on the IR retroactive to November 13. There hasn’t been any major updates on his progress, so he looks to be out long-term. After a disappointing start to the season, it appears as though it will be a while before Carlo can show the Leafs once again what value he can actually provide to the team.
Jake McCabe
Jake McCabe was the latest Leaf defender to go down with an upper body ailment after exiting Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. However, the injury appears to be minor as McCabe is expected to play on Wednesday against the Blue Jackets. Therefore, potential disaster city for the Leafs defense averted.