Toronto Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters on Tuesday he expects Morgan Rielly, who has been out since March 24 with an upper-body injury, to return to the lineup on Thursday when the Maple Leafs host the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Keefe also said that Mitch Marner, who has been out since March 7, could return to the lineup by the end of the week.
“Morgan will be available for us,” Keefe said. “(As for) Mitch, I haven’t had a chance to discuss with him here yet since he’s come off the ice but … I think with him we’re just going to feel it out and talk to him and likely make it more of a target for the weekend.”
In 65 games this season, Rielly has seven goals and 44 assists for 51 points, his fourth 50-point season of his career. Through 11 NHL seasons, all with Toronto, he’s compiled 80 goals and 385 assists for 465 points in 784 games.
Meanwhile, Marner has 25 goals and 51 assists for 76 points in 62 games with the Maple Leafs this season. In eight seasons, he’s put together a career statline of 193 goals, 437 assists for 630 points.
The Maple Leafs are 43-22-9 with 95 points, third in the Atlantic Division. They will likely face either the Boston Bruins or Florida Panthers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, who are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the division.
After they host the Lightning on Thursday, Toronto will head to Montreal to face the Canadiens on Saturday night, then back home to host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
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