- According to David Alter of The Hockey News, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is expected to miss his seventh straight game on Wednesday. Alter interestingly adds that Matthews hasn’t been skating the past couple of days but the organization assures he hasn’t taken a step back in his recovery. Toronto has earned a 5-1-0 record since Matthews exited the lineup on November 3rd.
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Maple Leafs Rumors
Maple Leafs’ Calle Järnkrok Undergoes Groin, Sports Hernia Surgery
The Maple Leafs announced that forward Calle Järnkrok underwent groin and sports hernia surgery on Monday. He will remain out of the lineup indefinitely and will be evaluated monthly.
Järnkrok, 33, has spent the entire season on long-term injured reserve with what the team previously labeled a lower-body injury. General manager Brad Treliving said last week that Järnkrok had left Toronto after experiencing a setback in his recovery and was seeing a specialist in New York.
That meeting evidently resulted in the decision for Järnkrok to undergo surgery to repair the issue, which he sustained early in training camp. Recovery timelines from sports hernia surgery vary but usually fall somewhere in the four-month range, so while there’s still a chance for him to play this season, it likely won’t be until after the March 7 trade deadline.
Järnkrok has been plagued by injuries since signing a four-year, $8.4MM contract with the Maple Leafs in free agency in 2022. He missed 30 games last season with two different hand injuries and also missed a couple of weeks in December 2022 with a groin injury, although it’s unclear if that’s related to the current groin issue that required surgery.
When in the lineup, the versatile Swede has been an effective depth presence. He’s averaged 0.48 points per game in a Toronto uniform, a tad higher than his 0.43 career average. He averaged 15:16 in 52 appearances last season, recording 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points while averaging more than a minute per game on both the power play and penalty kill.
While the Maple Leafs will continue to miss a capable veteran presence with a well-rounded game who can slot in pretty much anywhere in the lineup, they will continue to gain relief from his $2.1MM cap hit while on LTIR. Toronto currently has $731,562 left in their LTIR pool with a full roster, per PuckPedia, although that number will increase when Auston Matthews and Max Pacioretty come off standard injured reserve.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Maple Leafs’ Ryan Reaves Suspended Five Games
3:04 p.m.: The league’s Department of Player Safety announced a five-game suspension for Reaves.
9:04 a.m.: The NHL has announced that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves will have a player safety hearing for his illegal hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse in last night’s 4-3 overtime win. Reaves was assessed a match penalty and a game misconduct on the play after his shoulder caught Nurse in the head as the Oilers defenseman circled behind his own net with the puck. It’s a phone hearing, not an in-person one, so his pending suspension won’t last more than five games.
Nurse hit the ice hard after the hit and appeared stunned as he looked around. Blood began to pour from a sizeable cut on Nurse’s head as the Oilers training staff attended to him. He remained on the ice for a few moments before he was assisted off the ice. The hit occurred at the 2:41 mark of the second period, leaving the crowd in silence as Nurse left the game and did not return. Reaves was escorted off the ice and had a heated verbal exchange with Oilers captain Connor McDavid before he exited the game.
The league has an interesting decision to make with regard to Reaves, the initial point of contact on the hit is Nurse’s head and it would meet the definition of a blindside hit. The Department of Player Safety will consider an illegal check to the head suspension but does retain the right to change course when they review the infraction.
Reaves does have a history of supplemental discipline during his career, having last been suspended during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs while he was a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. Reaves caught a two-game suspension for roughing and was also suspended one game during the 2020 postseason for an illegal hit to the head against Tyler Motte of the Vancouver Canucks. Reaves was also suspended three games back in 2016 for boarding.
As for Nurse, his status has yet to be updated, but he is out right now with an upper-body injury. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweeted that he’s heard from Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels that Nurse was joking with the team’s trainers and walking around after the game, which is certainly encouraging.
Matthews' Injury Showing Toronto's Need For Center Depth
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without captain Auston Matthews for almost two weeks with a lower-body injury. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox argued that Matthews’ prolonged absence has opened some eyes in Toronto regarding the team’s center depth.
Toronto essentially moved every center up a line with John Tavares and Max Domi manning the top two lines. Fox believes that the Maple Leafs must upgrade their third line, which has usually been centered by Domi this season. He’s only managed six assists in 18 games this season and hasn’t scored a goal in the regular since April 6th, 2024.
If general manager Brad Treliving concurs with the assessment the team will have some options available for trade. Fox lists Brock Nelson, Mikael Granlund, Frank Vatrano, Nick Bjugstad, and Jake Evans as the likeliest options for the Maple Leafs to pursue with the former being undeniably the best option.
- Moving back to Toronto, defenseman Dakota Mermis skated this morning before practice according to David Alter of The Hockey News. Mermis, who has been on the team’s LTIR while recovering from jaw surgery, signed a one-year, $775K contract with the Maple Leafs this past offseason.
Maple Leafs Reassign Philippe Myers On Conditioning Loan
The Maple Leafs announced Saturday that they’ve assigned defenseman Philippe Myers to AHL Toronto on a conditioning loan.
Myers, 27, will remain on Toronto’s active roster and count against the salary cap while getting his first minor-league action of the season. He can remain on the AHL assignment for up to two weeks before he must be reinstated or placed on waivers.
The 6’5″ Myers was a surprise inclusion on the Leafs’ opening night roster after spending most of the past two seasons in the minors. He signed a one-year, one-way deal for $775K in free agency last summer after spending two campaigns in the Lightning organization, totaling 52 points in 113 games for their AHL affiliate in Syracuse but making just 16 NHL appearances in fringe action.
Unfortunately for the New Brunswick native, the roster spot hasn’t led to playing time. He’s been a healthy scratch for all but one of the Maple Leafs’ 18 games this season, logging a -1 rating and one hit in his sole appearance against the Bruins on Oct. 26 while skating 12:11.
The conditioning loan will allow Myers some AHL time without clearing waivers, but it’s still hard to imagine him avoiding the wire for much longer. Toronto will need to clear two roster spots when Auston Matthews or Max Pacioretty is ready to come off injured reserve, which will likely be achieved by waiving him and reassigning forward Alex Steeves after the latter’s recent call-up.
Interestingly, it won’t be Myers’ first time suiting up for the Marlies despite him not being affiliated with the Maple Leafs organization before this season. He had seven points in 16 games for them in 2021-22 while on loan from the Predators.
The right-shot defenseman has played 159 NHL games with Philadelphia, Nashville, Tampa Bay and Toronto, recording eight goals and 28 assists for 36 points. He’s only avoided an AHL assignment in a season once in his career, appearing in 44 of 56 games for the Flyers during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
Maple Leafs Activate Jani Hakanpää From Long-Term Injured Reserve
The Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that they’ve reinstated defenseman Jani Hakanpää from his conditioning loan and activated him from long-term injured reserve. He’s expected to make his Toronto debut tonight against the Capitals.
It’s been a long road back for Hakanpää, who last played an NHL game on March 16 with the Stars before a knee injury ended his season. The 32-year-old reportedly had arthroscopic surgery over the summer before agreeing to terms on a two-year, $3MM contract.
But weeks came and went without the Maple Leafs registering the deal. That’s because Hakanpää and Toronto’s medical staff had a difference of opinion on what type of rehabilitation he still needed for his knee before they would clear him to play. After more than two months of additional discussions, the two sides finally put pen to paper on a one-year, $1.47MM contract with an eight-team no-trade list.
That didn’t mean Hakanpää was healthy, though, and he skated only briefly during camp and started the season on long-term injured reserve as expected. He was assigned to AHL Toronto on a conditioning loan at the beginning of the month, posting zeros across the board in two appearances – his first minor-league action since the 2019-20 season.
While all signs point to him playing tonight, it’s unclear who he’ll replace. Given he’s a right-shot defender, though, it’ll likely be Conor Timmins heading to the press box. The 26-year-old sitting as a healthy scratch is a good problem to have for Toronto, though. He’s done quite well in a third-pairing role this season, posting four points and a +5 rating through 15 games while controlling 52.4% of shot attempts at even strength.
Hakanpää, who checks in at 6’6″ and 225 lbs, has been a serviceable fringe top-four option with the Stars for the past three years and routinely was among the league’s leaders in hits. The 2022-23 campaign saw him record career-highs across the board with six goals, 16 points, a +18 rating, 128 blocks, and 86 shots on goal while averaging 19:20 per game.
The Maple Leafs had an open roster spot after assigning Matt Benning to the minors yesterday, so no corresponding transaction is required.
Maple Leafs Reassign Matt Benning
Nov. 12: Benning cleared waivers, per Friedman. The Maple Leafs will likely continue to explore trade options, which may be easier now that an acquiring team could send him to the minors without risking losing him on the wire. He’s been assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies to give him a chance to play in the meantime.
Nov. 11: The Maple Leafs have placed newly-acquired defenseman Matt Benning on waivers, Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN reports.
Toronto acquired Benning, 30, from the Sharks with a pair of draft picks in exchange for Timothy Liljegren nearly two weeks ago. It was immediately apparent the veteran was included for roster/salary cap purposes and that he wasn’t expected to stick around with the Leafs. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet quickly reported that they were looking to move the blue-liner, while James Mirtle of The Athletic suggested last week that Toronto would waive Benning in short order if they couldn’t find a trade partner.
The Leafs and Benning will now hope that another team takes a flyer on him for no acquisition cost over the next 24 hours. He has one season after this remaining on the four-year, $5MM contract he signed with San Jose as a free agent in 2022. He carries a $1.25MM cap hit and will cost $100K against the cap for the Maple Leafs if he clears waivers and is assigned to AHL Toronto.
Benning, an Edmonton native, has not played for the Maple Leafs since the trade and has been a healthy scratch in six straight games. Before the trade, he went without a point and had a -5 rating in seven games for the Sharks while averaging a career-low 13:02 per contest. He had issues staying in the lineup with San Jose, too, going four straight games as a healthy scratch in late October.
In fact, Benning has made just 21 appearances since the beginning of last season. He missed the last four-plus months of 2023-24 after undergoing hip surgery in December.
The 6’1″ right-shot defender was a sixth-round pick by the Bruins in 2012, although he never signed with them and instead began his NHL career with his hometown Oilers after signing there as a free agent in 2016. In 464 NHL games in nine seasons, Benning has 17 goals, 85 assists and 102 points while averaging 16:37 per game.
Maple Leafs Recall Alex Steeves
The Maple Leafs announced they’ve recalled forward Alex Steeves from AHL Toronto under emergency conditions ahead of tonight’s contest against the Senators. The news confirms that captain Auston Matthews will not be coming off injured reserve after being labeled doubtful by head coach Craig Berube yesterday.
They still would have had 12 forwards available without Matthews since Connor Dewar came off long-term injured reserve last Friday. Thus, Steeves’ recall indicates that Max Domi or William Nylander could be questionable for tonight after missing Monday’s practice for maintenance days.
Steeves, 25 next month, was an undrafted free agent signing out of Notre Dame in March 2021. He’s suited up mainly in the AHL since then, but he has a few NHL appearances under his belt and has played at least one game in the last three seasons. The 6’0″ New Hampshire native has one assist, a -4 rating, 10 hits, and six giveaways in seven career games. He’s recorded six shots on goal and averaged 8:14 per game.
Steeves, who can play center and wing, has grown into a prolific AHL scoring force despite his lack of NHL point production. He recorded a career-high 27 goals and 57 points in 67 games for the Marlies last season, and he leads the club in scoring through the early going of 2024-25 with nine goals and three assists for 12 points in 10 games.
The Maple Leafs had an open roster spot after placing Max Pacioretty on IR on Monday, so no corresponding transaction is required. Toronto’s $1.83MM in current cap space under their LTIR pool is plenty to absorb Steeves’ $775K cap hit, per PuckPedia.
Steeves had his first go-around with restricted free agency this past summer after his entry-level contract expired. He waited until August to re-sign but eventually put pen to paper on a one-year, two-way deal ($775K/$300K) to return to the Maple Leafs organization. Since he’ll be 25 next summer with fewer than 80 NHL games played and four professional seasons under his belt, he’ll be eligible to test unrestricted free agency via Group VI status.
Auston Matthews Doubtful For Game Tomorrow
- According to David Alter of The Hockey News, it’s trending toward a fourth-straight missed game for Auston Matthews. The franchise icon hasn’t missed this many games in a row since the 2022-23 NHL season and the Toronto Maple Leafs hope it doesn’t extend further. To add insult to injury, Alter further added that forward Calle Jarnkrok experienced a setback in his recovery from a sports hernia and he’s now headed to New York to see a specialist. Jarnkrok hasn’t skated put together a full season since the 2022-23 campaign and it appears this year may be more of the same.
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Maple Leafs Place Max Pacioretty On IR With Lower-Body Injury
The Maple Leafs have placed winger Max Pacioretty on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury, per a team announcement. Pacioretty sustained the injury, which appeared to affect his left hamstring, after he fell awkwardly following a cross-check from Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson on Saturday.
He’s listed as week-to-week, a positive sign given that he needed help getting to the locker room after exiting the ice. As David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period notes, that timeline indicates it’s a pulled hamstring rather than a tear, which could have sidelined him for the rest of the season. As such, it’ll likely be a simple rehabilitation period for Pacioretty over the next few weeks without involving anything surgical.
That’s a welcome bit of news for Pacioretty, who’s been under the knife more than his fair share over the past few years. A pair of Achilles tears and a trio of surgeries limited him to 52 appearances over the last two seasons with the Hurricanes and Capitals. A PTO signing by the Leafs late in the summer, a successful training camp earned him a one-year, $1.5MM contract at the beginning of the month – one that likely had been agreed to in principle throughout his tryout.
Thus far, it’s been a worthy gamble from Leafs general manager Brad Treliving. Through 13 games, Pacioretty had two goals and four assists, although he’d gone without a point in his past five. He’d been scratched on a couple of occasions earlier in the season for load management purposes, although he’d played in eight straight games before getting hurt. Pacioretty had also worked his way up Toronto’s left-wing depth chart, recently skating in second-line minutes alongside John Tavares and William Nylander.
Pacioretty’s absence makes the recent reinstatement of Connor Dewar from long-term injured reserve all the more important. The 25-year-old was scratched against Montreal, but with Pacioretty unavailable, he’ll likely make his season debut tomorrow against the Senators, especially if captain Auston Matthews remains out with his upper-body injury. That’s possible after Matthews did not participate in today’s practice, per David Alter of The Hockey News.
The Maple Leafs will likely use Pacioretty’s vacated roster spot to activate defenseman Jani Hakanpää from LTIR. At the beginning of the month, he and Dewar both headed down to AHL Toronto on conditioning loans after offseason surgeries. While their activation didn’t come simultaneously, multiple reports indicate that Hakanpää was at practice with the NHL club this morning, signaling his Maple Leafs debut likely isn’t far away. They’ll have enough cap space, albeit by less than $500K, to remain compliant with Calle Järnkrok and Dakota Mermis still on LTIR. However, they’ll still need to free up roster spots when Matthews and Pacioretty are ready to return from their respective IR stints.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.