Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Panthers, Bruins, Kesselring
The Toronto Maple Leafs could get a major boost to their goaltending on their upcoming road trip next week. According to David Alter of The Hockey News, Anthony Stolarz is nearing a return to the team and is expected to join them next week. It would be the first time the Maple Leafs have their normal goaltending duo available since November 11th.
Even before going down with an upper-body injury in mid-November, Stolarz didn’t look the same as he has in years past. He posted a 6-5-1 record in 13 games with a .884 SV% and 3.51 GAA. For comparison, with the Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers, Stolarz managed a 37-15-5 record in 61 games with a .926 SV% and 2.10 GAA from 2023-24 to 2024-25.
Meanwhile, in a separate update from Alter, the Maple Leafs haven’t yet decided on the possibility of surgery for defenseman Chris Tanev. Sharing a statement from head coach Craig Berube, Alter quoted the coach saying, “Not yet. I’m sure that’ll be soon here about what he’s going to do.” The 16-year veteran has been ruled out with a groin injury since December 28th, with the rest of the 2025-26 season in doubt for him.
Additional notes from the Atlantic Division:
- The Florida Panthers are missing a pair of potential forward options for their game tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Before the game, team reporter Jameson Olive announced that Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk would not participate in tonight’s contest. Tonight marks two games in a row missed by Marchand, who participated in the team’s practice this morning (X Link). Tkachuk has been rumored to return for the last little while now, recovering from an adductor surgery from the offseason.
- Despite putting up a 10-spot on the New York Rangers earlier today, the Boston Bruins had a few higher-level forwards leave relatively early into the contest. In separate announcements, the Bruins shared that Elias Lindholm had exited the contest with a lower-body injury, and Morgan Geekie departed to attend to a family matter. Despite leaving the game with an injury after 12:05 of ice time, Lindholm finished the contest with two assists.
- According to an article from Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, defenseman Michael Kesselring should make a return to the Buffalo Sabres relatively soon. Regardless of his current health status, the 25-year-old blue liner can’t make his return to the Sabres lineup until next Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers due to the IR activation requirements. He went scoreless in 16 games before going down with a lower-body injury on January 6th.
Maple Leafs’ Chris Tanev’s Season In Doubt
This afternoon David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period shared an update on Toronto’s Chris Tanev; the defenseman may miss the remainder of the regular season. Tanev returned to the lineup in late December, appearing in three games. Now, an apparent groin injury which is unrelated to his previous lower-body ailment could end Tanev’s regular season.
Pagnotta noted that Tanev will meet with a surgeon this week to determine if a procedure is needed. If such is the case, he will not be able to return until late April or early May, postseason at best. Given their status in the extremely competitive Eastern Conference, Toronto’s playoff hopes are already uncertain, and even more clouded without their veteran shutdown defender.
Despite today’s speed oriented game, Tanev remains an integral piece when healthy. He and Jake McCabe form one of the league’s best shutdown pairings, and even in his age, Tanev is playing as well as ever, making the ongoing injury issues especially demoralizing.
Nothing will be confirmed for the next few days, but it seems to be a forgone conclusion that Tanev will land on long-term injured reserve, giving much needed cap space for Toronto to pursue outside help. Thankfully, fellow righty Brandon Carlo is thought to be nearing a return, much needed given Tanev’s absence. However, even with Carlo back in the fold, the Leafs are seeking a shake up. Veteran Troy Stecher, claimed off waivers from Edmonton in November, has been a strong fit in Tanev’s role, and the team has found success of late, 4-0-2 in their last six games. Recent results aside though, GM Brad Treliving has been linked to defenseman Rasmus Andersson, going back to their time in Calgary, along with forwards such as Brayden Schenn and Kiefer Sherwood, as reported by The Fourth Period.
Toronto has a long history of adding such players mid-season; the issue is the assets on hand. Treliving has just three owned draft picks for 2026, no better than a third, and no first round choice until 2028. They face the difficulty of having mostly underachieving players as their only trade material. Andersson, who could become a real focus due to today’s Tanev news, has a modified no-trade clause. Even if he’d be willing to waive, and Calgary was satisfied by a player-heavy offer from Toronto, it is a real question if the team should gamble on another trade rental. None over the past few seasons have necessarily panned out, nor stuck around, painting the team into the corner they find themselves at now.
Tanev, 36, is just now in year two of a six year contract worth $4.5MM per season. As it takes him up to age 40, it was not likely the Ontario native would play out the deal, yet for his future to already be in flux was not according to plan. Tanev would expectedly age more gracefully than Jake Muzzin or T.J. Brodie, who found themselves in similar situations, but Treliving was surely not ready to cross such a bridge so soon as now. While the hope is that he could avoid surgery and return sometime in the winter, unfortunately, it may soon be time for Toronto to search for their long-term replacement for a highly respected veteran who has been a warrior over the past 15 years.
Chris Tanev, Dakota Joshua Out Indefinitely
Dec. 31: Head coach Craig Berube told reporters today, including Friedman, that Tanev will be out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a groin injury.
Dec. 30: After previously being ruled out for tonight’s game, it’s clear Maple Leafs skaters Chris Tanev and Dakota Joshua will miss more time than that. Tanev will be out for “some time” with a lower-body issue unrelated to the previous injury that sidelined him for nearly two months, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports, while Joshua sustained a kidney injury in Sunday’s game against the Red Wings that resulted in internal bleeding, remaining in Detroit for observation.
Both will likely end up on injured reserve today to create the roster space for Matt Benning and Jacob Quillan, who were recalled from AHL Toronto this morning. Tanev was only just activated from IR last week, missing 27 of Toronto’s previous 28 contests with an upper-body injury. The right-shot defenseman’s brief return to the Toronto roster consisted of three games of work, posting a +3 rating with seven blocks while averaging 20:40 of ice time.
Tanev, arguably the Leafs’ most stabilizing defensive presence, has played in only 11 games this year due to an upper-body injury he initially sustained on Oct. 21 against the Devils. Despite that, his +8 rating is still third-best on the team, and his duo with Jake McCabe has allowed just 0.84 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, sitting among the league’s most staunch defense pairs.
Another multi-game absence will force the Leafs to continue to lean on overmatched right-shot depth like Philippe Myers, although it will give the chance for waiver claim Troy Stecher (1-5–6, +9 in 19 GP) to continue his strong run of play alongside McCabe. The burden on Myers and Stecher should be eased soon with Brandon Carlo nearing a return from foot surgery, but it’s far from an ideal situation as Toronto tries to climb out of a tie for last place in the Eastern Conference.
Joshua had appeared in all but two games for the Leafs this season, his first in Toronto after being acquired from the Canucks last offseason in exchange for a fourth-round pick. He’s improved on his underwhelming showing for Vancouver last year, but not by much, putting up a 6-4–10 scoring line in 36 games. He’s excelled in providing the element of physicality that’s expected from him, though, leading the team in hits with 127 and ranking second among Leafs forwards with 26 blocks.
For a player starting nearly three-quarters of his even-strength shifts in the defensive zone, though, Joshua’s -2 rating is a fine one. He’s consistently logged third-line minutes at even strength and is far from being an insignificant loss for what will likely be the next several weeks as a result. Expanded ice time should be in store for trade bait Matias Maccelli and rookie Easton Cowan, who’s posted four goals and 11 points through his first 27 games.
Maple Leafs Recall Matt Benning, Jacob Quillan
The Maple Leafs have recalled defenseman Matt Benning and center Jacob Quillan from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, according to a team announcement. Toronto’s active roster is full, so two corresponding moves will be necessary. The reinforcements come as defender Chris Tanev and left winger Dakota Joshua will be scratched for tonight’s game against the Devils due to lower-body and upper-body injuries, respectively, but the Leafs haven’t yet said whether they’ll miss enough time to be eligible for IR placements.
Tanev’s and Joshua’s absences aren’t the only injury troubles the Leafs are facing, either. Auston Matthews will be a game-time decision after sustaining a lower-body injury in Sunday’s loss to the Red Wings that briefly caused him to leave the bench. William Nylander‘s status for tonight is also unclear – he remains day-to-day after sitting out the Detroit loss with a lower-body injury.
Benning, 31, was a full-time NHLer for several years with the Oilers, Predators, and Sharks but hasn’t seen much playing time over the past two seasons. Hip surgery limited him to 14 games in 2023-24 and, after making seven appearances for San Jose to kick off last season, was traded to Toronto. The Leafs immediately waived him and reassigned him to the Marlies, where he’s played since.
The 6’1″ puck-mover put up disappointing numbers last year but has seemed to find his game again in 2025-26. Now in the final year of a four-year, $5MM deal he signed with the Sharks in free agency in 2022, he’s tied for eighth on the Marlies in scoring with two goals and eight assists for 10 points despite being limited to 16 appearances, posting a decent +4 rating to boot. He’s already eclipsed all of his offensive marks from last season in 39 games.
With Tanev coming out, adding a right-shot option like Benning to the roster was preferable. Whether he plays tonight against the Devils or whether Simon Benoit re-enters the lineup on his off side after serving as a scratch for the last three games remains to be seen.
Quillan’s recall is his second of the season. The 23-year-old pivot was rostered for a nine-day stretch last month, getting into a pair of games – the second and third of his NHL career. He’s still looking for his first big league point and would enter the lineup tonight if both Matthews and Nylander can’t go.
An undrafted free agent out of Quinnipiac, the 6’1″ Quillan has emerged as the Marlies’ top two-way forward in just his second professional season. He leads the team with 18 assists and 23 points in 26 games, as does his +7 rating. He’s done plenty to cement his ceiling as a long-term bottom-six option in Toronto and, although there isn’t much of a job for him this year, has likely been penciled in as a replacement for pending unrestricted free agent Scott Laughton.
Toronto Maple Leafs Activate Chris Tanev
After nearly two months, the Toronto Maple Leafs are returning a solid defenseman to the lineup. The Maple Leafs announced that they’ve activated defenseman Chris Tanev from the long-term injured reserve.
It was the second stint on the sidelines for Tanev this season. On October 21st, the 36-year-old blueliner suffered a concussion, but returned relatively soon after on November 1st. Unfortunately, in that game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Tanev suffered a scary-looking injury after taking a hit from Matvei Michkov. After spending the night in the hospital, Tanev has been on the LTIR ever since.
He’s only skated in eight games this season for the Maple Leafs despite the pair of injuries. He’s been relatively solid in those appearances, registering two assists and a +5 rating while averaging 17:20 of ice time. Still, it’s not enough of a sample size to judge whether or not Toronto will get the same version of Tanev they got last season.
Throughout the 2024-25 campaign, his first with the team after signing a six-year, $27MM contract, Tanev was arguably the Maple Leafs’ top defenseman. He scored three goals and 18 points in 75 games with an impressive +31 rating. His 189 blocked shots were first on the team by a significant margin, and his 92.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength was second among defensemen behind Simon Benoit.
Toronto could use his services now more than ever. Despite having a sixth-ranked penalty kill, the Maple Leafs are 25th in the league in GA/G and 28th in shots against per game. Some of this can be blamed on the numerous goaltending injuries the team has faced this season, but Tanev could at least provide more stability from the back end.
Regardless, this won’t be the only transaction coming for Toronto before their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins today. Now that Tanev is back in the fold, the Maple Leafs have 24 players on the active roster, meaning one player will have to get moved back to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies or placed on the injured reserve. Without any new injuries, the likeliest reassignment candidate is blue liner Henry Thrun, who remains several games away from becoming waiver eligible.
Atlantic Notes: Bruins, Maple Leafs, Tinordi
Unless something changes, the Boston Bruins will return their two top performers on their upcoming road trip. After an update from Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald, indicating that Charlie McAvoy shed the non-contact jersey for today’s practice, Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe reported that both McAvoy and David Pastrňák are expected to return over the next few days.
Even getting one of McAvoy or Pastrňák back would be a major boost to the Bruins. After McAvoy exited the lineup on November 15th after gruesomely taking a puck to the face, the team has gone 5-5-0. It’s been a little better without Pastrňák, as they’ve gone 3-2-0 in their last five.
Still, considering that Boston has unexpectedly moved into second place in the Atlantic Division, the team will want to have McAvoy and Pastrňák in the lineup as much as possible to qualify for a postseason spot. The Bruins are only two points removed from being out of a playoff spot, and have played more games than multiple teams in the Eastern Conference. Considering how wide-open the playoff race is this season, Boston has a legitimate opportunity to reach the postseason again, and McAvoy and Pastrňák will surely play a large role in that.
Other notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Moving to Toronto, the Maple Leafs may also return a pair of injured players in the next few days. According to David Alter of The Hockey News, defenseman Chris Tanev is no longer skating in a non-contact jersey. Additionally, Alter reported similarly on defenseman Marshall Rifai, who has also shed his non-contact jersey. Tanev has missed much of the 2025-26 campaign due to an upper-body injury, and his absence has played a significant role in the Maple Leafs allowing over 31 shots a game from their opponents.
- Former first-round pick Jarred Tinordi has found his way back to professional hockey for a 14th consecutive season. Earlier today, the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch announced they have signed Tinordi to a contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign. Tinordi, 33, spent last season with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, scoring one goal and five points in 30 games with a +5 rating.
Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Lightning, Pinto
While Joseph Woll landed on injured reserve today, the hope is that he will only miss the minimum of seven days, notes Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link). Woll had been used quite heavily by the Maple Leafs since returning from a leave of absence, making eight starts in nine games and did well, posting a 2.44 GAA and a .923 SV%. With Anthony Stolarz not close to returning, it appears Toronto has dodged the worst-case scenario when it comes to their other netminder.
Meanwhile, a pair of injured blueliners took part in today’s morning skate as Nick Barden of The Hockey News mentions that Chris Tanev and Marshall Rifai both participated in non-contact jerseys. Tanev has missed more than a month with an upper-body injury after briefly returning from an upper-body injury and head coach Craig Berube hopes that Tanev will be able to get him more involved in practice over the next week. Rifai, meanwhile, has yet to play this season after suffering a wrist injury in the preseason. Both players are currently on LTIR.
Elsewhere around the Atlantic:
- While the Lightning will get one of their stars back tonight, they’ll be without two others. Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times relays that goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and winger Nikita Kucherov are listed as day-to-day with undisclosed injuries. Tampa Bay was hoping to have Vasilevskiy back after missing Thursday’s game but that won’t be the case, meaning Jonas Johansson will get the start once again. Meanwhile, it’s unclear as to what Kucherov’s injury is as well but he played over 25 minutes on Thursday against Pittsburgh so it’s something he was evidently able to play through at some point in the game.
- The Senators have placed center Shane Pinto on injured reserve, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, who adds that Pinto is expected to miss two weeks and likely more, suggesting that a return after the holiday break may be more realistic. The open roster spot was used to recall Hayden Hodgson earlier today. The 25-year-old got off to a strong start to his season and has 12 goals in 27 games along with a four-year, $30MM contract extension that begins in 2026-27.
East Injury Updates: Miller, Quick, Maple Leafs
As the New York Rangers attempt to spark a push up the Eastern Conference standings tonight during their game against the St. Louis Blues, they’ll need to do so without the on-ice help of captain J.T. Miller. Newsday’s Colin Stephenson reported today that Miller remains out with an upper-body injury on a day-to-day timeline. While the injury appears highly unlikely to keep Miller out of action for very long, it is a discouraging development nonetheless in what has been a troubling start to the season for both Miller and the Rangers as a whole. The Rangers traded two promising young players in Filip Chytil and Victor Mancini, as well as a first-round pick, to the Vancouver Canucks to acquire Miller, and at the time the move seemed easily defensible as Miller had very recently scored 37 goals and 103 points. Centers capable of that level of production are very rarely made available, and since the Rangers already had a cornerstone defenseman (Adam Fox) and franchise goalie (Igor Shesterkin), paying that price to add a true number-one center was seen as a “win” for the team.
But since Miller has arrived in New York, he’s only been able to match the level of play he set in Vancouver on a sporadic basis. Miller scored a solid 35 points in 32 games last season, but the Rangers failed to reach the playoffs. So far this year, Miller has struggled to produce as consistently, and has just 12 points in 22 games. That’s a 45-point 82-game pace. For a player making $8MM against the cap with the clear expectation to be a leading scorer on a playoff team, that’s simply not enough production for the Rangers to get where they want to go as a team. While this injury will sideline Miller for a short while, it won’t rob him of his chance to turn around his season whenever he recovers and returns to the ice. For the Rangers to restore their status as true Stanley Cup contenders, a status they lived up to by reaching two Eastern Conference Finals in three seasons, they’ll need Miller healthy and firing on all cylinders.
Other injury notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Stephenson also reported that veteran Rangers backup goalie Jonathan Quick has a lower-body injury and is still being evaluated. While the Rangers have a young, capable No. 3 goalie in their organization in the form of Dylan Garand, who was an AHL All-Star last season, any extended absence faced by Quick would damage the Rangers’ ability to turn around their season. Through six games played this year, Quick has turned back the clock, putting forward performances reminiscent of his prime years backstopping the Los Angeles Kings to Stanley Cup championships. Quick is 3-3-0 in his six starts with a .944 save percentage and 1.69 goals-against-average. While he’s 39 years old and a pending UFA, he’s making the case to remain the Rangers’ backup for next season with his form early in 2025-26. His current lower-body injury threatens the momentum he’s built so far this year, though, and the Rangers are likely hoping his absence is a brief one.
- Toronto Maple Leafs blueliners Chris Tanev and Marshall Rifai were on the ice before practice today, according to The Hockey News’ Nick Barden. Tanev, 35, hasn’t played since he was helped off the ice in the team’s Nov. 1 game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Tanev remains without a firm recovery timeline, though he is not expected to return anytime soon. Rifai, 27, has spent most of his time in the Maple Leafs organization at the AHL level, save for two games in 2023-24. He’s working his way back from wrist surgery and will likely be assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies whenever his recovery concludes.
Atlantic Injury Updates: Bruins, Maple Leafs, Sabres
The Boston Bruins have had to deal with their fair share of injuries so far this season, but that hasn’t stopped the club from continuing its longstanding tradition of consistent regular-season success. Through 21 games this season, Boston sits first in the Atlantic Division with a 12-9-0 record, including a 8-2-0 record in their last 10 games. On Saturday in Montreal, though, the Bruins were dealt their most significant injury blow to date this season: Charlie McAvoy took a Noah Dobson one-timer to the face and had to leave the game immediately. Today, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm provided a small update on McAvoy’s status, per Conor Ryan of Boston.com, stating that McAvoy will not travel with the team on its upcoming road trip. In addition, he also said that veteran center Elias Lindholm would travel with the team.
It should not come as any surprise that McAvoy isn’t ready to play just yet, and Sturm did add that an official update on McAvoy’s health will likely be issued either today or tomorrow. In any case, adequately replacing what McAvoy brings to the Bruins will be very difficult. McAvoy averages nearly 24 minutes of ice time per game (good for the team lead) and has 14 points in 19 games. While it won’t help their defense, the fact that Lindholm is nearing a return to the ice should help soften the blow of losing McAvoy. He’s a reliable two-way center whose return should help alleviate some of the pressure the Bruins’ center injuries have placed on veteran Pavel Zacha and rookie Fraser Minten.
Other injury updates from the Atlantic Division:
- Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving confirmed today, per The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, that team captain and franchise center Auston Matthews won’t play today or on Thursday due to the injury he suffered Nov. 11 against the Boston Bruins. Matthews did begin skating again today, but still needs some time before he’s ready to return to game action. The 28-year-old has scored 14 points in 17 games this season, and had 33 goals, 78 points in 67 games in 2024-25. In addition to speaking on Matthews, Treliving also said that veteran defenseman Chris Tanev‘s health status will be re-evaluated in a week or two, and head coach Craig Berube confirmed that center Nicolas Roy will miss a few games with an injury of his own. Tanev suffered his injury Nov. 1 while Roy, who has four points in 19 games this season, played in the team’s last game on Saturday.
- Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff announced today that defenseman Michael Kesselring suffered an injury in the team’s game Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, and “an extended period of time” as a result. The nature of the injury is not yet clear, but Ruff said that Kesselring’s absence would be “on the longer side – weeks.” The big 25-year-old right-shot blueliner, who was acquired this past summer from the Utah Mammoth in the J.J. Peterka trade, has played in nine games this season. In better injury news, Ruff also announced that forward Zach Benson will return to skating in a non-contact capacity
Atlantic Injury Updates: Bruins, Cirelli, Tanev
Several updates on the availability of their players have been reported today, namely Charlie McAvoy, Casey Mittelstadt, and John Beecher. Per The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, the Bruins’ top defenseman McAvoy did not travel with the team due to a personal matter, while Mittelstadt did not travel due to an upper-body injury. In addition, team reporter Belle Fraser reported today that Beecher is out with his own upper-body injury.
These injuries have left the Bruins in a somewhat precarious position entering their game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins were already dealing with an injury to top center Elias Lindholm, who was later placed on injured reserve. According to Fraser, veteran Jeffrey Viel will replace Beecher on the Bruins’ fourth line, while Alex Steeves, who was recalled today from AHL Providence, will play on the team’s second line, the one centered by Pavel Zacha. Due to McAvoy’s absence, defenseman Mason Lohrei, a healthy scratch for the last five games, will draw back into the lineup. The Bruins are on a five-game winning streak, but these injuries are likely to test the sustainability of the club’s winning ways.
Other injury notes from the Atlantic Division:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without center Anthony Cirelli for tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals, relays Lightning team reporter Benjamin Pierce. Cirelli is managing an injury, one that caused him to leave Tampa’s last game early. Head coach Jon Cooper did note that the club is hopeful Cirelli will be able to return in time for the Lightning’s game against the New York Rangers on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Cirelli is a key two-way center for the Lightning, scoring seven goals and 11 points in 14 games so far in 2025-26 while also occupying a role on Tampa’s top penalty-kill unit. In part due to Cirelli’s strong defensive abilities, the Lightning have managed to kill penalties at a 89.4% rate so far this year, good for fourth-best in the NHL.
- There was an encouraging development coming out of Toronto today as Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev was spotted skating for the first time since he was stretchered off the ice during the team’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 2. (Report via TSN’s Mark Masters) While there have not been any additional specifics on a recovery timeline for Tanev, the mere fact that he’s back on the ice so soon after the injury scare he suffered has to be seen as a positive sign for his readiness to play. Tanev, who has dealt with concussions in the past in his career, is a key defensive defenseman for the Maple Leafs and has averaged 17:20 time-on-ice per game this season, including 2:40 per game on the penalty kill.