The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed their captain, Auston Matthews, on the injured reserve list due to an upper-body injury. This decision, effective retroactively from December 20, was made just hours before the Maple Leafs’ game against the New York Islanders. A team representative mentioned that Matthews has not faced any setbacks, explaining that the move to the injured reserve allows the team to call up another player. Matthews, who has been dealing with this injury throughout the season, last played on December 20 and has achieved 11 goals and 12 assists in 24 games so far this season.
Additionally, the Leafs announced that defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forward Pontus Homberg will be absent from the game due to illnesses. In response to these absences, defenseman Marshall Rifai is being called up from the team’s AHL affiliate to fill in the roster.
