The Toronto Maple Leafs returned to the ice today for practice following an off day yesterday and there was a surprising absence. Forward Bobby McMann did not participate in practice which led many to believe that he would be placed on waivers today as the Leafs needed to make a roster move by 5pm as they activated Ryan Reaves off of IR and were over the roster cap of 23 skaters.
Following practice, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe explained that McMann is being placed on IR with an injury. It is the same injury that held him out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Seattle Kraken and something that Keefe noted has been nagging him for some time. Keefe did not clarify what the injury was, but was hopeful he would be able to return following the Leafs bye week.
With Jarnkrok likely out Saturday in the Leafs final game before their bye week and McMann also unavailable, we could likely see the return of Ryan Reaves to the lineup. Reaves has been out of action since injuring his knee in mid-December against the Columbus Blue Jackets and has been sitting in the press box patiently awaiting his next opportunity for the last few weeks.
