The Toronto Maple Leafs hit the ice at the Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday for a practice session that was missing one key player: winger William Nylander. The young forward was sidelined with an illness, casting doubt on his availability for the upcoming game against the Los Angeles Kings.
Head coach Craig Berube addressed Nylander’s status, saying, “That’s up in the air right now. We’ll see how he feels later on.” Nylander, who had a stellar performance with two goals in Saturday’s victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, is just the latest Leaf to fall victim to the bug that’s been circulating through the team.
“We’ve had more guys with it too, but they were able to keep going,” Berube acknowledged. “We’ve got to watch out for it.” Star player John Tavares also battled the illness, sitting out Saturday’s game and Monday’s practice. The veteran centre made a return to the ice on Tuesday, but he’s still feeling the effects.
“It’s been a battle for a few days,” Tavares admitted. “Unfortunately, that’s the way it goes sometimes. I’m still coming around and trying to get my energy back.” Tavares even mentioned that he lost some weight during his time dealing with the illness, a fact that was evident to his coach.
“He was low energy to me,” Berube observed after practice. “It’s tough, but he’s a true professional and managed to push through today. I’m sure he’ll be feeling better as the day goes on.” The Maple Leafs are monitoring the situation closely as they prepare for their next matchup.