Except for three of their core players, who are still skating at the Olympics, the rest of the Toronto Maple Leafs returned to practice this week. The lines were a patchwork of whoever was in town, but those who were there offered some good news, with a couple of players who hadn’t been on the ice in a long time taking practice laps. Others who had been playing through injuries looked better than expected, and one player who’d been ruled out in most people’s minds stepped back into the picture.
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In short, Toronto walked away from its first post-break skate with four encouraging signs: Dakota Joshua is closer to a return, Matthew Knies looks like he finally has his legs back, Morgan Rielly is ready to settle the blue line again, and Chris Tanev—against huge odds—might not be done for the year.
None of this solves the lineup puzzle while the Olympians are away, but it does give head coach Craig Berube something to build toward when the full roster comes back together.
Item One: Dakota Joshua Steps Back Into the Picture
It was a small moment, but Dakota Joshua was back into drills. For a team missing three Olympic stars, the timing couldn’t be better. He hasn’t played since that scary kidney injury in late December, and he probably felt rusty. Still, the simple fact that he took reps on a fourth line with Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz is a good sign.
Joshua’s game has always fit Berube’s style—straight lines, hard pressure, no drama. You could see the coach’s mood lift just talking about having him back on the ice. Joshua isn’t committing to a return against the Tampa Bay Lightning next Wednesday, but if this week goes the right way, he’ll give the lineup something it hasn’t had for a while: a heavy, honest shift that wears down opponents.
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And for a team that’s been using call-ups and patchwork lines, Joshua’s return would add a real piece of stability. Sometimes, a bottom-six player coming back doesn’t make headlines. This time, Joshua’s status is indeed good news.
Item Two: Matthew Knies Finally Looks Like Himself Again
There was another win at practice: Matthew Knies skating without the hesitation he’d shown for weeks. He finally admitted the knee had been bugging him longer than anyone knew, and the Olympic break came at exactly the right time. Two weeks of rest did what grinding through games couldn’t.
Berube had him back in his pre-break spot with Nicolas Roy and Nicholas Robertson, which tells you where the coach sees him fitting when the roster is whole. Knies looked lighter and more confident, the kind of movement that shows up before it shows up on the scoresheet. He told reporters he feels “great.” For him, the reset could change the entire stretch run.
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If Toronto can get the north-south, straight-power version of Knies again, he becomes more than a middle-six player. He becomes the same matchup problem he was starting to be early in the season.
Item Three: Morgan Rielly Ready to Skate Again
There’s been a lot of criticism about Morgan Rielly’s game this season. But who knows, like Knies, what he’s been playing through. After sitting out the final two games before the break with an upper-body issue, he was back on the ice. Berube called him good to go and slotted him right back beside Brandon Carlo.
For all the noise around his game, Rielly eats minutes, moves the puck, and doesn’t need the spotlight. With the blue line having lived through injuries, patchwork pairings, and more defensive juggling than expected, getting him back now is a big piece of calming the entire structure. His return won’t get much hype, but it will be interesting to see if he looks stronger now that he’s rested whatever injury kept him out.
Item Four: Chris Tanev’s Return Could Be a Welcome Surprise
The surprise of the practice was Chris Tanev skating on his own. Given how grim things looked after his groin injury in late December, very few people expected to hear his name again this season. Yet he was working on his own and looking like he was trying to get back into the campaign.
Berube was careful to say that Tanev will skate for a few days and “see where he’s at.” But even that is more optimism than hinted at earlier. The complicating factor is the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) wrinkle: if he’s still on long-term injured reserve once the playoffs start (assuming the team makes it), he can’t return even if he’s healthy. That alone makes the coming weeks feel like a race against both the calendar and the injury.
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Whether he returns or not, the idea of Tanev skating at all was good news. Even the possibility of his return is worth noting.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
The next few days will tell the story. Toronto still has players in the Olympics, and the lineup won’t be set until they’re home. In the meantime, Berube’s job is to get the rest of the group back into rhythm and prepare the foundation for when the real push begins.
The biggest swing question is Tanev. If his body responds and he can ramp up quickly, the entire blue line picture changes. If not, Toronto will need to be realistic about depth and workload down the stretch. Joshua doesn’t need to rush, but if he returns looking like the player he was before the injury, he gives Berube another piece.
For now, the Maple Leafs can take one thing from this practice: for a team that’s had its share of bad breaks this season, this was a day where things trended in the right direction. And in February, that’s sometimes the first step toward building a real finish.
