An illness is spreading through the Leafs locker room
You can’t be too sure of much with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but you can likely have a good idea that they’ll be washing their hands a bit longer around the team facilities these days.
With a possible flu season on the way, at least one key Leafs player has been afflicted by an unidentified condition.
As per TSN’s Mark Masters, William Nylander missed practice with an illness that’s going around the team locker room.
Craig Berube says William Nylander's status for Wednesday's game is "up in the air"
Coach says illness is going through the room @TSN_Edge
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 15, 2024
Though mandatory COVID-19 tests and strict isolation and masking protocols were in place at various points from 2020 through 2022, the league (and other sports entities worldwide) have been more lax on pandemic-era locker room policies.
Still, NHL locker rooms are a typical breeding ground for airborne illnesses to spread, particularly with players spending so much time together throughout the season.
While Leafs coach Craig Berube didn’t name any other players who have been afflicted, he mentioned that Nylander’s status is “up in the air” for their next contest. Meanwhile, Leafs forward John Tavares returned to practice after missing Saturday’s game while sick.
“We’ve had more guys [sick] too, but they were able to keep going,” Berube added. “We’ve got to watch for it. But it was great to see [Tavares] out there today and he got through practice. It looked like he was low-energy, but he’s a good pro, got out, had a sweat and I’m sure he’ll feel better later.”
Nylander has scored two goals in three games for Toronto. Though he missed three games in the 2024 playoffs due to recurring migraine issues, Nylander suited up for all 82 games in 2023-24, as well as the season prior. Since making his NHL debut in 2015-16, he’s played in 606 games, all of which have been for Toronto.
Toronto has gone 2-1-0 in their first three games, winning their last two after dropping a 1-0 decision on opening night against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Leafs hit the ice tomorrow against the Los Angeles Kings, with puck drop set for 7 pm ET.
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