Injuries continue to take their toll on the Maple Leafs, with defencemen Morgan Rielly and Joel Edmundson both absent from the morning skate on Tuesday.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe later revealed that both are “day to day” with undisclosed injuries. But while Rielly was a game-time decision for Tuesday night’s game against the Devils, Edmundson is not only out for the New Jersey game, but not expected back all week.
Rielly, 30, is the Leafs’ top offensive defenceman on the team, currently fifth in team scoring with seven goals and 44 assists this season, while averaging 23:49 minutes of ice a game.
The 31-year-old Edmundson was only just acquired at the trade deadline from Washington, drawing praise for the physical manner he played in Saturday’s 6-3 win against the high-flying Oilers. He has played just seven games so far in the blue and white, averaging 17:44 minutes of ice time.
There was some good news for Maple Leaf fans, however, as winger Mitch Marner was spotted on the ice for the first time since injuring his ankle on March 7. Keefe described the status of his third-leading scorer as “day to day,” and possibly able to join the team for a full practice on Wednesday.
“Mitch is no longer day-to-day from day-to-day,” Keefe said, jokingly. “He’s just day-to-day. He’s progressing very well.”
In goal, Ilya Samsonov was also seen skating, which was comforting news after the way he had to depart Saturday’s game in the third period with an injury. “He wasn’t going to play tonight, regardless,” Keefe said.
Joseph Woll will get the start against the Devils, with veteran Martin Jones backing him up.
Defenceman Mark Giordano, meanwhile, was cleared to play, but was made a healthy scratch.
