Leafs updates: Huge Anthony Stolarz news, and Mermis making progress

The Maple Leafs have been ravaged by injury this season, and it seems like just as they're beginning to get healthy, someone else goes down.

Such is the case right now on the blueline, as Brandon Carlo is set to return to action, while the Leafs may be losing Chris Tanev for the remainder of the season, pending a decision on surgery.

Jake McCabe also went down with an injury on Saturday, but at least his issue appears to be of the short-term variety, so there's a silver lining there. McCabe is expected to miss about a week of action.

As it turns out, another Leafs defenseman is on the mend, as Dakota Mermis has been spotted on the ice at Ford Performance Centre ahead of Leafs practice on Monday, indicating that he's making good progress in his recovery. He wasn't alone either.

For the first time since suffering an injury in the 2nd period against the Boston Bruins on November 11th, a short clip has emerged of Anthony Stolarz back on the ice in full gear, working with Mermis and the return-to-play staff.

It's best that we temper our expectations here, as Stolarz has not played in almost two full months, so we're likely to see a little bit of a process playing out here. Stolarz will continue to skate with team staff, gradually ramping up the intensity of the sessions over time until he is good to go.

Once the team and the goaltender both feel comfortable with where he's at physically, look for the New Jersey native to be loaned to the Toronto Marlies for a conditioning stint, where he'll get into some game action in the AHL, similar to how Joseph Woll's return to action played out following his leave of absence.

The good news is that Stolarz is back on the ice, he's in full gear, and he's working towards a return, which is what fans want to hear, especially after whispers of him potentially being done for the season were beginning to emerge.

The team has not released any meaningful updates on the subject, but with Stolarz going through the motions right now, it's only a matter of time before we receive a loose timeline on when the team expects him back.

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