The Toronto Maple Leafs got a positive sign on Chris Tanev on Monday, while several other teams around the NHL were sorting through their own injury situations.
Tanev took part in his first full team skate since getting hurt, practicing with the Maple Leafs in Calgary. He was still wearing a red non-contact jersey, so he has not been cleared for full-contact work yet.
Even so, getting him back on the ice is a welcome step for Toronto, though there still isn’t a set timetable for his return to game action. There had been talk that the club might need to make a trade if he were going to miss a significant stretch.
In Edmonton, the Oilers made a roster move with their crease situation by placing Devon Levi on injured reserve, which will keep him out for at least one week. The team did not reveal what kind of injury Levi is dealing with, so the recovery picture remains cloudy. To help cover the gap, Edmonton recalled Matt Tomkins from the Bakersfield Condors on an emergency basis.
That depth is especially important with Tristan Jarry set to start again Monday after giving up six goals against the Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Mattias Ekholm is also still out, but there are signs he may not be far away.
He skated Monday as an extra and looked to be in good spirits after taking a hit and landing on the side of his head. He is working through concussion protocol, with hopes that he can return soon.
Carolina should get a boost of its own against Boston. Taylor Hall said he expects to be back in the lineup versus the Bruins after missing five games with an upper-body injury.
He was back at practice Monday in a regular jersey and told team reporter Walt Ruff that he was feeling good. If nothing changes, Hall should be available when the Hurricanes host Boston.
Philadelphia also offered a clearer picture on Rasmus Ristolainen, who is expected to miss about two weeks with an upper-body injury. The timeline could shift depending on how he responds to treatment. The update led to some fan discussion about whether the Flyers may have missed their chance to move him before he became unavailable.
Mats Zuccarello is dealing with an upper-body injury as well and will sit out his next game. He had been moving in the right direction and had appeared in three recent games, which suggested progress, but his status remains up in the air.
And in New Jersey, Connor Hellebuyck’s status looks promising. He was on the ice Monday and took shots from Devils players, with the sense being that he could be ready as soon as Tuesday night. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said, “We will take it from here and get a sense of how he feels getting through practice and getting on the flight to Dallas, and figure out the next steps,” on Hellebuyck potentially playing on this road trip.
In Other News...
Leafs Leave Door Open To Another Massive Roster Move
With the Maple Leafs still trying to sharpen their defensive play, John Chayka left the door open to another major roster shakeup. The general manager said Toronto has discussed upgrading the blue line, but also stressed that a trade is not the only path to solving the problem, giving the club some room to explore different ways of making the group harder to play against.
Chayka also addressed the kind of assets that could come into play if the Leafs do make another move, including Easton Cowan. While he made clear the organization values the young forward, he did not frame him as untouchable, and he also pointed to Torontos salary cap flexibility as a factor that could help if the right opportunity surfaces. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Loss Exposed A Bigger Problem Than One Rough Night
After a 5-2 loss to the Flames, Jim Hiller spent much of his postgame assessment circling back to the same theme: the Maple Leafs have to play cleaner and more connected, especially when the lineup is already being stretched by injuries. He pointed to the turnovers that hurt them, the need to fill gaps more effectively, and the way the game can tilt when a few details go wrong all at once. Hiller also touched on Sergei Bobrovsky in goal, a penalty called on Auston Matthews, and the kind of minutes Zack MacEwen gave the team in a limited role.
Easton Cowans night was part of the conversation too after a difficult first period, but Hiller made clear the larger issue was not one player or one mistake. The bigger concern is how the Maple Leafs respond when the game gets messy and the bench gets thinner, because the coach believes the group has to hold together better in those moments. Kirill Marchenkos injury status only adds to that challenge, and it leaves Toronto with more uncertainty than a single rough night should normally create. [Read more 🡒]
Easton Cowans Rise Is Creating A Real Leafs Dilemma
John Chaykas latest comments put a spotlight on the kind of internal evaluation that can shape a teams future as much as any trade deadline decision. He stressed that easing Gavin McKennas usage in late-game situations should be viewed as part of healthy development, not a demotion, while also making it clear that Easton Cowan has moved well past the point of being merely a promising prospect. In Chaykas view, Cowan has fit naturally with the Maple Leafs and has already outperformed early expectations.
For Toronto, that kind of rise creates an awkward kind of good problem. When a young player starts looking like a real part of the solution, the conversation quickly shifts from patience to value, from development to roster fit, and eventually to what the organization can realistically afford to protect. Chayka stopped short of putting Cowan in the untouchable category, but his praise left no doubt that the Leafs have a player whose stock is climbing at exactly the wrong time for anyone hoping the roster picture stays simple. [Read more 🡒]