Yahoo Sports How Close Are Jake McCabe And Anthony Stolarz To Returning To Maple Leafs' Lineup?
The Toronto Maple Leafs had a full morning skate on Saturday ahead of their game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Neither Jake McCabe nor Anthony Stolarz (which is expected given his timeline) were on the ice, however, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube did provide an update on the two injured players.
McCabe has missed the last two games after going down hard following a fight with Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway. The 31-year-old left the ice on his own power but didn't return and hasn't been seen since.
"He's doing well. He skated this morning," Berube said Saturday morning. "I don't really have a timeline [on his return]. Hopefully it's not too long. We'll see how it keeps going, but he feels good and he's doing well. That's the best update I can give you on him."
McCabe missed five games in December after taking a puck to the head on Nov. 30 in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He returned to Toronto's lineup on Dec. 12 against the Anaheim Ducks.
The defenseman has appeared in 36 games this season, scoring one goal and 10 assists while averaging 20:52 of ice time on the Maple Leafs' second defense pair.
Stolarz hasn't played since Dec. 12 against the Ducks where he sustained a knee injury. He played the first 20 minutes of the game before exiting and having Joseph Woll come in for relief.
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said on Dec. 17 that the 30-year-old had a procedure a few days later to remove a "loose body" the size of a pebble. Stolarz's timeline for a return was four to six weeks.
"It's not uncommon for players to have, whether it be little loose chips or, basically the medical doctor, the medical group calls it loose bodies. And it's just, it's in the wrong spot," Treliving said in mid-December. "And we waited for a few days to see if it would move. But it doesn't allow him to get full range of motion of his leg right now. So it's got to be removed."
Stolarz was seen for the first time since his injury on the team's mentors trip this week. On Tuesday, during their first stop in Philadelphia, he popped out for a group photo with the mentors and his teammates.
While in Raleigh, North Carolina, Stolarz was seen working out off-ice with team staff. We're nearing the four-week window since his procedure, so is there any update on when he might return to the ice for Toronto?
"Stolarz will be on his own for a bit. But I expect that soon, like maybe this week," Berube said on Saturday. "I hope that he can get on the ice and do some things. With us [in practice], I don't know yet with that one."
Stolarz was one of the NHL's best goaltenders before he suffered a knee injury. He had nine wins and a .927 save percentage through his first 17 games with the Maple Leafs. The goaltender signed a two-year, $5 million contract with Toronto on July 1.
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