Maple Leafs Provide Official Updates on John Tavares, Matthew Knies and Max Pacioretty

The Leafs have been banged up for most of the season, but a trio of updates on Monday are giving fans a reason to be excited.

Back on January 15th, ex-Leafs captain John Tavares was forced to leave the ice early after falling awkwardly along the boards near the end of practice.

There was a lack of clarity surrounding the severity of Tavares' injury, as noted by TSN's Darren Dreger last week, because he had yet to resume skating.

Following the Leafs' annual outdoor practice on Monday, which was held at Prince of Whales Park in Mimico, Leafs bench boss Craig Berube was asked about Tavares' recovery and provided some very good news, confirming that Tavares resumed skating and is expected to be a full participant in practice by the end of the week.

Berube coupled the positive update on Tavares with more good news for fans as both Matthew Knies and Max Pacioretty joined Tavares on the ice at the Leafs' practice facility on Monday. Knies and Pacioretty are both recovering from upper-body injuries, with no firm timeline for their returns.

Knies was injured late in the second period against Columbus last week after an awkward fall following the completion of a hit just inside the Blue Jackets' zone.

Pacioretty was reportedly injured when he was hit with a puck up high against the Montreal Canadiens on January 18th. He finished the game, but has not played since.

As the Four Nations Face-Off approaches, the Leafs are not going to rush any of their injured players back.

The Leafs play just five games over the next two weeks before the two-week break, and with how cautious the team has been with injuries this season, it doesn't make sense to have any of them return for one or two games and then take an extended break again.