The Toronto Maple Leafs have received a boost ahead of Tuesday’s October 13 game against the Utah Mammoth in the final game of their Western road trip.
Toronto defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-3 during the weekend, but without John Tavares. The forward had been absent since October 9 for personal reasons, specifically the birth of his fourth child.
On Monday, October 12, he returned to practice and joined his teammates in Salt Lake City, one day before the game against the Mammoth.
According to Mark Masters, one line combination head coach Jim Hiller tried in practice featured Tavares at center, with Easton Cowan and William Nylander on the second line. The first line consisted of Kirill Marchenko, Auston Matthews, and Jack Roslovic.
Masters wrote on X, “Leafs lines at practice in Utah
Marchenko – Matthews – Roslovic
Cowan – Tavares – Nylander
McKenna – Paul – Sissons
Duhaime – Blueger – Groulx
Wood, MacEwen
McCabe – Raddysh
Rielly – Stecher
Rifai – Blankenburg
Bobrovsky
Stolarz”
Of course, this doesn’t guarantee these are the exact combinations we will see against Utah, but they are some clues from Monday’s practice.
In addition to Tavares’ return, Masters reported that Marshall Rifai also joined the team. He will fill the spot left by Chris Tanev, who was placed on Injured Reserve after he was injured in the most recent game against Colorado. Miles Wood also joined Monday’s practice, skating as a scratch.
What Happened to Maple Leafs Defenseman Chris Tanev?
Tanev suffered an upper-body injury in the team’s latest game, a win over the Colorado Avalanche. He left the game in the first period and did not return. The exact details of the injury have not been revealed, but the specialized website PuckPedia has published an update.
On Sunday, reports said the Maple Leafs were preparing to place Tanev on Injured Reserve and recall defenseman Marshall Rifai from the Toronto Marlies.
Hours later, it was official. This suggests the Toronto franchise expects Tanev to be out for a considerable period, or at least a week, since that is the requirement for placing him on IR.
When a player is placed on Injured Reserve, they must miss at least seven days from the date of the injury or their last game played. At a minimum, he would miss the Maple Leafs’ next three games against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, Oct. 13; the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, Oct. 15; and the New York Islanders on Oct. 17.
Maple Leafs Handed Roster Boost Before Mammoth Game