The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without their most productive player for the foreseeable future.
William Nylander is set to miss his second consecutive game as the Maple Leafs host the Minnesota Wild on Monday night, and when asked about the star forward's status earlier in the day, head coach Craig Berube said he's "not sure when (Nylander is) going to be on the ice."
Berube clarified that Nylander is dealing with a groin injury, originally suffered in an overtime loss against Mitch Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights last Thursday.
The 29-year-old left after less than three minutes of total ice time, going to the locker room before the opening frame was over, but it's unclear how the injury occurred. After scoring his 17th goal of the season midway through the first period, Nylander did appear to stumble while celebrating near the boards, but he stayed in the game for a few more shifts before exiting.
Following his two-point outing against the Golden Knights before exiting with injury, Nylander sits with a team-leading 48 points through 37 appearances.
It marks the second time he's dealt with a lower-body injury this season, previously returning on Jan. 10 after a six-game absence.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs will have Matthew Knies in the lineup, who Berube said earlier in the day was a game-time decision due to an undisclosed injury.
"Same thing he's been dealing with before," was the most the bench boss offered in terms of Knies status ahead of taking on the Wild.
The 23-year-old wasn't on the ice for Monday's morning skate.
Knies' 40 points are the third-most for Toronto this season, second on the team for assists (28) and fifth in goals (12). He's also tied for the team lead in power-play goals (four) and sits fourth in total hits (99) through his 45 appearances.
In a corresponding move, the Maple Leafs recalled forward Jacob Quillan from the AHL's Toronto Marlies earlier on Monday. Quillian was a scratch for Monday's game.
