Maple Leafs Injury Updates

The Toronto Maple Leafs provided multiple injury updates this afternoon, per TSN’s Mark Masters. The newest update is that newly acquired winger Kirill Marchenko is expected to miss the next few weeks with a lower-body injury after leaving Toronto’s contest on Monday against the Calgary Flames.

Marchenko’s recovery timeline suggests that he will be placed on the injured reserve. He has been a boon for the Maple Leafs since they acquired him from the Columbus Blue Jackets before the season, scoring six goals and 14 points in 14 games with a -3 rating, averaging 17:37 of ice time per game.

Fortunately, Toronto has a veteran who immediately fills Marchenko’s spot in the lineup, though he doesn’t play a similar game. Masters shared that the Maple Leafs recalled Dakota Joshua from his long-term injured reserve conditioning loan. The oft-injured Joshua has been recovering from an abdominal injury and went scoreless in four games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies during his conditioning stint.

Joshua’s return isn’t the only positive update. Toronto has also upgraded defenseman Chris Tanev to day-to-day. The veteran blue liner wore a regular jersey at practice this morning and is eligible for activation from the injured reserve. Tanev has been nursing an upper-body injury since the Maple Leafs’ game against the Colorado Avalanche on October 10th. Tanev has registered one assist in six games with a +1 rating this season, and has averaged 16:51 of ice time per game.

Unfortunately, it’s the status quo with the rest of the injuries. Defensemen Nick Blankenburg (undisclosed) and Marshall Rifai (lower body), and center John Tavares (lower body) are expected to miss another few weeks.

Despite the injuries, the Maple Leafs have remained competitive through their first handful of games. Toronto currently owns a 7-5-2 record in 14 games, good enough for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Still, if they wish to return to the postseason this year, the Maple Leafs will have to sustain or even exceed their pace to assure a playoff berth. Based on their points percentage, Toronto is pacing for 10th in the Eastern Conference, well outside of the postseason cut-off.