The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that one of their stars have been placed on injured reserve. William Nylander has missed the last four contests with a lower-body injury. Nylander’s placement on the IR is retroactive to December 27th, when he got injured against the Ottawa Senators. The injury occurred on an awkward play behind the Ottawa Senators net with defenceman Artem Zub.
The Maple Leafs have placed F William Nylander on injured reserve retroactive to December 27, 2025.
D Marshall Rifai has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) January 5, 2026
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Nylander’s Injury Progression
Nylander left the game following that play and did not return. Nylander was originally listed day-to-day and was questionable for last Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Since then, Nylander has skated once on Monday morning, but hasn’t since then. Head coach Craig Berube has mentioned that there is no setback in his recovery time. Nylander has led the Maple Leafs in scoring this season with 41 points in 33 games.
If Nylander is to miss an extended period of time, it could prove to be costly for the Maple Leafs, heading into a crucial Eastern Conference matchups his impact on the ice will be missing. The Maple Leafs are hoping to survive this stretch without Nylander. The Maple Leafs have played better as of late, picking up points and crawling back to two points out of the final Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Playoff Wild Card spot, despite Nylander’s absence.
In response to Nylander’s Injury
In response, the Maple Leafs recalled defenceman Marshall Rifai from the Toronto Marlies. Rifai has played two career NHL games, which came during the 2023-24 season. Rifai had recently joined the Marlies on a conditioning stint after getting injured against the Montreal Canadiens in a pre-season game. The Quebec native had a strong training camp with the Maple Leafs before it was cut short. He will look to get into the Maple Leafs lineup for Tuesday night’s game versus the Florida Panthers.
The Maple Leafs will be without Chris Tanev and Dakota Joshua as they are both out with long-term injuries. Tanev is rumoured to be missing the rest of the season, which can be costly for a team on the outside looking in. Brandon Carlo will also look to get back into the Maple Leafs lineup soon as he has missed time after undergoing foot surgery on December 3rd.
Main Photo: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images