Leafs dealing with multiple injuries ahead of game against Devils
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that defenseman Chris Tanev and forward Dakota Joshua are both going to miss the Leafs’ matchup with the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, while captain Auston Matthews is listed as a game-time decision with a lower-body injury.
In repsonse, the team has called up defender Matt Benning and forward Jacob Quillan from its American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
Maple Leafs D Chris Tanev (lower body) and F Dakota Joshua (upper body) will not play in tonight’s game vs. New Jersey. F Auston Matthews (lower body) is a game-time decision. D Matt Benning and F Jacob Quillan have been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
It’s not quite clear what is ailing the trio of Leaf regulars. All three played close-to-average minutes in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, with Matthews chiming in with an assist in over 22 minutes of action. The star center did block a shot in Detroit in the losing effort.
Matthews has already missed a few games this season, with a lower-body injury leading to him being placed on injured reserve last month, resulting in the Arizona native missing a total of five games. Yet, he’s still tied for the team lead in goals (15) with John Tavares, sitting fourth on the team in overall scoring with 27 points in 33 appearances.
Tanev is currently dealing with a lower-body injury. He has been on the shelf for most of the first couple of months of the campaign, with the right-handed rearguard missing a total of 27 games so far this season, returning to the lineup last week after missing 23 contests due to an upper-body injury. He has averaged close to 20 minutes per game since his return, posting a plus/minus of +3 in his past three games. The 36-year-old has just two assists in 11 games thus far.
Joshua has an upper-body injury, with reports mentioning that he’s still in Detroit, dealing with a kidney injury. One of Toronto’s notable additions this past offseason, the Dearborn, Mich. native has provided a little bit of physicality to the lineup. In 36 games, he has scored six goals and four assists for 10 points, and is on pace to reach the 20-point mark for the first time in two years.
Quillan has played in two games this season, both coming last month while Matthews was on the shelf. He has yet to register a point in three NHL games over the past couple of seasons. The former Quinnipiac star has five goals and 18 assists for 23 points with the Marlies this year.
Benning hasn’t dressed for an NHL contest since October 2024, when he was a member of the San Jose Sharks. In 464 career games, he has notched 17 goals and 85 assists for 102 points. With the Marlies, the 31-year-old has scored two goals and eight assists for 10 points this season.
The Leafs (17-15-6) sit last in the Atlantic Division, four points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.