The Toronto Maple Leafs have endured their fair share of the injury bug this season. There has yet to be a game in which the Leafs were fully healthy. They started the season without a completely healthy team, and the list of players on injured reserve has been a revolving door all season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently without Anthony Stolarz, Matthew Knies, John Tavares, Max Pacioretty, Connor Dewar, Calle Jarnkrok, and Jani Hakanpaa. All are out with varying degrees of injuries. However, the news isn't all bad, as most of these players are not expected to be out much longer. That's great news for the Leafs, so long as the rest of the lineup can stay healthy.
As for the injured players listed above, here is what we know as of Friday morning. John Tavares is the only one expected to be out of the lineup on a week-to-week basis. Until he can return to the ice and start skating, it's hard to put a timeline on his return. Tavares suffered a lower body in practice back on January 15th during a power-play drill. Leafs prospect Fraser Minten has taken Tavares' spot in the lineup.
Anthony Stolarz has been out since December 12th due to knee surgery to remove a pebble-sized bone fragment. His recovery timeline was 4-6 weeks, which he is on pace with. He returned to the ice before the Leafs morning skate on January 20th for some conditioning work. However, the Leafs only have six more games before the 4 Nations tournament (February 12th-20th), so it might be wise to keep Stolarz out of the lineup until after the tournament.
Toronto Maple Leafs Injury Update
Jani Hakanpaa
According to Chris Johnston, Leafs defenseman Jani Hakanpaa intends to play for Team Finland at the 4 Nations tournament. Hakanpaa has been out since November but is hoping to return for a few NHL games before the tournament begins. What having Hakanpaa back in the lineup would be like is unknown since he wasn't that good to start with and has been injured the entire time he's been here.
Calle Jarnkrok
Calle Jarnkrok has been taking part in conditioning drills since January 20th and could be close to a return. The Leafs might opt for sending him to the AHL to play in some games with the Toronto Marlies on a conditioning stint before returning him to the NHL lineup. He's another player who could return after the 4 Nations tournament. His healthy cap-hit will be problematic for the Leafs, so it will be interesting to see what happens here.
Connor Dewar
Connor Dewar missed the Leafs game on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets and is listed as day-to-day. He could be a game-time decision on Saturday, but his return will most likely be on Wednesday, January 29th, against the Minnesota Wild.
Matthew Knies
According to Chris Johnston, Matthew Knies is only expected to be out for a few days. Knies left the Leafs game on Wednesday against the Blue Jackets after an awkward hit along the boards. Having him listed as day-to-day is good news for the Leafs. Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators might be too soon, but Wednesday against the Wild is likely.
Max Pacioretty
Max Pacioretty has been out since leaving Saturday's game against the Montreal Canadiens after taking a puck to the side of the head from a point shot. He was listed as day-to-day but has since been put on injured reserve. Pacioretty might be able to return on Wednesday, but February 1st against the Edmonton Oilers is more likely.