Some great news coming out of Leafs practice on Monday
Good news all around folks, and there's nothing like good news on a Monday! Justin Holl, Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase are all out of COVID protocol and back to practice with the team today. Even better, Jake Muzzin skated in a non contact jersey today, marking his first appearance since he suffered a concussion last week against the New York Rangers.
The Leafs' D corps did not look good without Muzzin and Holl in the lineup. Alex Biega and Carl Dahlstrom simply could not replace them, not that that's a major surprise. Having their second pair back on the ice is nothing but good for the Maple Leafs. Muzzin likely won't see game action for another week, but seeing him skating is a good sign. Concussions are never easy to predict as far as timelines go, so fingers are crossed that his recovery continues to go smoothly.
Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie appear to be headed in different directions. While Kase was slotted in on the top line at practice with Auston Matthews and Michael Bunting, Ritchie skated as an extra. It seems that he is the odd man out, and will likely be traded to make cap space for deadline acquisitions.
