John Tavares in a regular blue sweater ahead of today’s Maple Leafs morning skate.
Nation Sites
The Nation Network
The LeafsNation has no direct affiliation to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Scenes from Leafs morning skate: Tavares skates, Knies reportedly back on Saturday, Woll projected starter
Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jan 29, 2025, 11:32 ESTUpdated: Jan 29, 2025, 11:33 EST
Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares was spotted wearing a blue jersey at the optional morning skate on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, he was seen on the ice ahead of the Leafs’ practice with Matthew Knies, Jacob Quillan, and Calle Jarnkrok, the other injured players working their way back into action. Tavares did not participate in the outdoor practice on Monday and instead stayed behind with the other injured players.
“Later in the week, he could be on the ice with us, but that is guessing a little bit,” Head coach Craig Berube said after the outdoor practice. “We have to see how he is progressing here, but he is in a good spot. I think we are going to see him with us in practice pretty soon.”
Tavares has been on IR since January 16, listed as ‘week-to-week’ with a lower-body injury. Berube likes to get his players returning involved in a proper practice before being reinserted into the mix, so the fact he feels it is possible that Tavares could be rejoining the main group soon is encouraging. He is expected to travel with the team for their upcoming Western Canada road trip so we shall see if his return happens before the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Unless something changes in the next couple of days, expect John Klingberg to make his Oilers debut on Saturday vs the Maple Leafs. Toronto is hopeful Matthew Knies can return Saturday as well. Pacioretty expected back in the lineup tonight.
Knies is scheduled to miss Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, but it appears he won’t be much longer before he is ready to return. TSN’s Darren Dreger posted on Twitter/X that the Leafs expect him back on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers, which is consistent with his previous report of Knies not being far away from returning.
“This doesn’t sound horrible. And I hesitate a bit to err on the side of caution because really that’s what the Maple Leafs have done all season long right?” Dreger said during an appearance on First Up on Friday. “With all of their players, it’s just make sure that that player is as close to 100 percent as he can be before he’s back into the mix. But the messaging yesterday, although not technical, was that it’s probably only going to be a few to a handful of days for Matthew Knies. So that’s good news.”
Having Knies back on Saturday means he would have only missed two games and got nine days of rest. Getting him reinserted in the lineup would no doubt be a huge boost given the solid season he has been having and the chemistry he has built alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
Anthony Stolarz and Matt Murray are the goalies taking part. Joseph Woll is not on the ice for the optional, which is not unusual when he starts. Joseph Woll is the projected starter against the Minnesota Wild. @BodogCA
Joseph Woll was not present for the optional morning skate, which has happened before on days that he is slated to start the game. He will look to build off his strong showing in defeat against the Ottawa Senators where he only surrendered two goals though one of them was off a fluky bounce.
Of note is that Anthony Stolarz was present for the morning skate alongside the projected backup in Matt Murray. Stolarz is a day removed from his first full practice with the Leafs since suffering his injury on December 12. He spoke with reporters after Tuesday’s practice where he said it was not the first time he had to deal with the ‘loose body’ in his knee but now is focused on working his way back to the level he was at before surgery.
“Kind of sucks, obviously, not playing. And we were playing pretty well when I went down. So, just to be able to get back out there, be able to practise with the guys again, be around the group, it’s been a lot of fun so far,” he said. “There’s no cardio like playing hockey in a real, 60-minute game — especially as a goalie. So, I feel good, and it’s just about getting that cardio back.”
Here is the projected lineup based on what the Leafs used at Tuesday’s practice:
Forwards
Bobby McMann-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner
Max Domi-Pontus Holmberg-William Nylander
Max Pacioretty-Fraser Minten-Nick Robertson
Steven Lorentz-David Kampf-Ryan Reaves
Defence
Morgan Rielly-Jake McCabe
Oliver Ekman-Larsson-Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit-Philippe Myers
Goalies
Joseph Woll
Matt Murray
The puck drop for Wednesday’s game against the Wild is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.
Sponsored by bet365
Breaking News
- Jackie Redmond believes Maple Leafs’ offseason still revolves around captain Auston Matthews
- Report: Canadiens’ proposed package for Matthew Knies included Alexander Zharovsky, two first-round picks, and a prospect
- Jackie Redmond thinks Patrick Roy could THRIVE in Toronto: Leafs Morning Take
- The Canucks are taking Gavin McKenna to dinner: Why it’s not a big deal for Maple Leafs
- Easton Cowan takes responsibility for costly turnover on Penguins game-winning goal during Marlies’ Game 4 loss