Pierre Engvall, Ilya Mikheyev and John Tavares were all absent this morning, while Travis Dermott left the ice after only a few minutes of practice. Mikheyev left last night's game with a non-COVID related illness and that appears to be the reason he is not at practice today.
It appears to be a maintenance day for Tavares and Engvall, while the reason for Dermott's departure is unknown. Meanwhile, Justin Holl, who had been a scratch the last two games and had been in a grey (scratches) jersey at previous practices returned to practice in the standard black jersey the Leafs' defensemen wear and looks to be drawing back into the lineup for Saturday's game.
Unsure if his recall will lead to game action on Saturday or if it is simply to fill out lines and get him an NHL paycheck for a day, but Nick Robertson participated in practice on Friday as well and was seen skating with Wayne Simmonds and Jason Spezza on the team's fourth (third?) line.
It's possible that the Leafs had called Robertson up just in case Mikheyev wasn't able to go tomorrow night against the Detroit Red Wings, but I'm sure we'll get some more clarity on Robertson's presence following practice during media time.
POLL | ||
25 FEVRIER | 218 ANSWERS There were some notable absences at Leafs practice; plus, Holl drawing back in? Should the Leafs keep Holl around? | ||
Yes | 35 | 16.1 % |
No | 156 | 71.6 % |
I'd rather put a pencil through my eye | 27 | 12.4 % |
List of polls |