Toronto Maple Leafs Get Some Surprises at Practice

The Toronto Maple Leafs had their first practice since before the NHL break for the 2026 Winter Olympics started. With the practice came some updates on the status of the team’s injured players.

With Auston Matthews (Team USA), William Nylander (Sweden), and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Sweden) still involved in Olympic action, the lines for Leafs head coach Craig Berube are going to be a mix-mash of available players. One positive from the first practice was seeing Dakota Joshua back on the ice. He took reps on the fourth line with Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz.

Joshua has been out since he suffered a kidney laceration in a game against the Detroit Red Wings on December 28th. He says he feels a bit rusty. The 29-year-old wants to see how this week goes before committing to playing on February 25th against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Joshua plays the Craig Berube style, and the coach would love to have him back in the lineup.

“It was great having him back out there,” Berube said via The Hockey News ‘ Nick Barden. “We’ll see where he gets to. He’s feeling good, ready to go, so we’ll see how it goes this week.”

Toronto Gets More Good News at Practice

Another positive from practice was Matthew Knies. He recently admitted that he was battling through a nagging knee injury for weeks. At practice, he was back on the third line that Berube was using before the break. Knies practiced alongside Nicolas Roy and Nick Robertson. He felt the Olympic break would be a great opportunity to rest and recover from the knee ailment. While talking with reporters after practice, he confirmed that the two weeks off provided exactly that.

“Yeah, I feel great,” Knies said via Sportsnet’s Anna Dua. “I think it’s in a great spot. I spent a lot of time on it, and it was a pretty valuable two weeks for me just to get the rest and the rehab and everything.”

Additionally, Morgan Rielly returned to the ice after missing the Maple Leafs’ last two games before the break. He was out due to an upper-body injury he sustained on January 31st in a game against the Vancouver Canucks. Berube said that the defenseman would be good to go after the Olympic break and will likely be in his usual spot alongside Brandon Carlo.

Chris Tanev Skating

The Biggest surprise during the injury updates was the update provided on defenseman Chris Tanev. Tanev, whose season has been in jeopardy since suffering a groin injury against the Red Wings on December 28th. Tanev was seen getting some work in on his own pad of ice before the main group came out to begin practicing. It could be an indication that a return to the Leafs’ lineup this season remains possible.

According to Berube, “He’s going to skate here for the next few days on his own and see where he’s at.” Many didn’t think a comeback this season was possible for Tanev, but we’ll have to wait and see. Due to the new CBA rules, if Tanev is on LTIR when the playoffs start, he’ll be ineligible to play in the playoffs, even if he’s healthy.

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