Maple Leafs place William Nylander on injured reserve, recall defenceman Marshall Rifai from AHL

The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed forward William Nylander on injured reserve retroactive to December 27th, the team announced on Monday. In a corresponding move, they have recalled 27-year-old defenceman Marshall Rifai.

Nylander left the game against the Senators on December 27 with what the team described as a lower-body injury after getting tangled up with Senators defenceman Artem Zub. Despite being floated as a game-time decision in most of the games since then, Nylander isn’t quite ready to return yet, head coach Craig Berube said at morning skate on Saturday prior to their game against the New York Islanders.

“He’s progressing,” Berube told reporters. “I think he’s trending in the right direction, and now my hope is maybe he’s back with us Monday on the ice practicing”.

Nylander had been struggling prior to his injury before popping off for two goals and two assists against the Pittsburgh Penguins two days before Christmas. He scored the opening goal for the Leafs against the Senators but left in the second period of that game. He currently has 41 points in 33 games to lead the Leafs in scoring.

Rifai, meanwhile, has yet to skate in an NHL game in 2025-26 and hasn’t dressed for one since the 2023-24 season. The move to recall him was more than likely related to Jake McCabe’s injury against the New York Islanders on Saturday, given that he’s left-handed and well-suited to step in for McCabe should he miss any time. The defenceman has skated in five games for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies this season, tallying two assists. He previously missed the first two-and-a-half months of the season after undergoing wrist surgery during preseason.

Despite Nylander’s addition to the injured reserve, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be out much longer, at least according to Berube’s optimism at Saturday’s morning skate. Their next game is at home on Tuesday when they host the divisional rival Florida Panthers.