Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz took a major step in his recovery as he stayed out for the entirety of Tuesday’s practice with the main group.

This was the first time he had done so since he suffered his injury on December 12 which is an encouraging sign that he is closing in on his return to the lineup.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on Friday that Stolarz could be back in the lineup within a week, meaning he could be ready to play during their upcoming road trip before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

After Friday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube told the media that the goalie’s recovery is ahead of schedule and shouldn’t keep him out of the lineup for much longer. He followed up with reporters after Tuesday’s practice, saying it would be ideal for Stolarz to play before the 4 Nations if he is deemed ready.

“Good.  More of that today, conditioning, things like that. I think that conditioning is probably one of the biggest things being out as long as he has,” he said. “He’s been around, he’s a good pro. He’s been very positive about everything, around us every day, and he’s been in a good frame of mind with it all. It’s one of those things you can’t control, it happens. He’s dealt with it and done what he has to do to get back.”

Getting Stolarz back will no doubt be a huge boost to the team who has been able to weather the storm in his absence. Joseph Woll remains the starter for now while Matt Murray is currently the backup, but that will change as soon as Stolarz is cleared to play.

John Tavares, Matthew Knies, Jacob Quillan, and Calle Jarnkrok were on the ice for their own session before the main group began their practice.

Knies may not miss much time, but he is likely not going to be back in action until Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers at the earliest. Tavares’ timeline remains unclear, but there is a good chance he won’t be cleared until after the Four Nations. Seeing him back on the ice is a good development as he works his way towards a return to action, so the Leafs should be able to get a better read of how much time he needs.

As for Jarnkrok, seeing him in a blue jersey is interesting because it is a sign that his return is a lot closer than we think. He has yet to play in the regular season due to a sports hernia though he has recently been seen around the team in recent weeks. Jarnkrok’s potential return means the Leafs will soon have to make some moves to free up space to add him back into the fold.

Quillan took the brunt of a knee-on-knee collision with Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins during Saturday’s game. It was a hit that Berube felt should have resulted in a power play for the Leafs, though he was happy to see Quillan finish the game. The fact he wasn’t with the main group signals that the pain has lingered on enough that he is likely to be unavailable for Wednesday’s tilt against the Minnesota Wild.

The good news is that forward Max Pacioretty appears to be nearing his return to action as he was spotted taking rushes on the third line. He has missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury that he suffered against the Montreal Canadiens on January 18 where he took a puck off the side of his head and was in severe discomfort. Pacioretty was put on IR so they could bring up Quillan and has been cleared to return since Saturday.

Here is how the lines looked at practice courtesy of The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke:

It is worth noting that Grebenkin was seen taking reps on the fourth line, so there is a chance he slots into the fold instead of Reaves but Berube won’t make the final call until closer to game-time. Should Grebenkin get back into the mix, the only other change to the forward core would be Pacioretty slotting back in for the injured Quillan.

Another noteworthy change is to the top power-play unit with Pacioretty slotting in with the five-forward unit while the second unit still has the three-forward two defencemen configuration. They will look to get back on the scoresheet as they came up empty on their lone attempt against the Senators though it has seen better results in recent weeks.

Otherwise, there will be no other changes to the lineup as the defence remains intact and the goalie tandem stays the same, meaning Woll is projected to get the start against the Wild on Wednesday.