Maple Leafs: Nylander Update, Trudeau Jokes with Tory, Leafs Blueprint

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect William Nylander returned to the ice on Tuesday, while prime minister Justin Trudeau decided to poke some fun at Leafs Nation on Wednesday when he met with Toronto mayor John Tory.

Toronto Marlies forward William Nylander skated with Connor Brown, Nick Spaling and Maple Leafs skating coach Barb Underhill on Tuesday morning, according to the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan.

After suffering a concussion during the first game of this year’s World Junior Championships, it’s nice to see Nylander return to the ice. Although he’s not returning to action anytime soon, it’s still nice to see some progress in his health.

Maple Leafs assistant general manager Kyle Dubas joined Leafs Lunch on Wednesday afternoon to further discuss the status of William Nylander. Here’s what he had to say when asked how this might affect the plan with him going forward and if it would affect the way the Marlies/Leafs might choose to use and place Nylander.

"I think everything with William right now is just placed on hold. He’s incurred an injury which we are going to be extremely cautious with and most conservative with in terms of his clearance to return to play. We need to follow the steps in a very conservative manner, and make sure he is absolutely 100 percent healthy and not at any undue risk when he returns.Especially in his case as a young player, there’s not going to be any type of pushing to come back sooner or earlier. He’s 19 years old, he’s got a lot of runway in front of him in terms of his potential and career, and the onus is on us to do what’s right for any player that’s injured that is that young.They all want to come back very soon, and they all want to come back and play. But it’s up to us to continue to do what’s right for William. We’re doing that, and he’s making progress, and I think we’re happy with where he’s at. But that’s right — he’s not going to be on the road trip and won’t be playing on the road trip, and we’ll continue to revisit it everyday."

The Marlies travel to take on the St. John’s Ice Caps this weekend, but will return to the Ricoh Coliseum next Wednesday night to host Jonathan Drouin and the Syracuse Crunch. Based off what Dubas said, I doubt we see Nylander play.

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I’d guess that we won’t see Nylander back in action until early to mid-February. Perhaps February 19 when the Marlies open up their six game home stand would be an ideal return date. But, as every hockey fan has learned over the past few years, trying to predict concussions is an impossible task.

Justin Trudeau has fun with Leafs Nation

Prime minister Justin Trudeau had a nice surprise for Toronto mayor John Tory on Wednesday. When the mayor presented the prime minister with a Maple Leafs jersey, Trudeau was quick to reveal his favourite team, the Montreal Canadiens, albeit in a very diplomatic way.

The socks are practically Leafs-coloured, so I think the prime minister gets a pass here. But, hey, you have to respect Trudeau’s sports fandom. No matter who you are, or what you do, you always stick to your guns when it comes to your favourite team.

For that, I tip my hat to Trudeau.

The Leaf Blueprint Episode 4

Episode four of the Leaf Blueprint came out on Tuesday. Here’s a description of what fans can expect to see in this episode, according the Maple Leafs official page.

There’s a thin line between playing at the top of your game and falling below your potential. Whether it’s goaltender Jonathan Bernier looking to regain his form, centre Nazem Kadri’s quest to keep scoring, or Morgan Rielly’s journey to become an elite NHL defenceman, the road to success is fraught with challenges, but made easier by coach Mike Babcock’s support and vision.

Next: Leafs: Lupul Needs to Put Struggles Behind Him

If you haven’t been following this series, I strongly encourage every Maple Leafs fan to watch it.