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Toronto Maple Leafs injured defencemen appear ready to go for playoffs

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Apr 19 2025, 4:00 pm
Toronto Maple Leafs injured defencemen appear ready to go for playoffs
Sergei Belski/Imagn Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs recently banged-up back end appears to be healthy and ready to go for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Maple Leafs had been without Oliver Ekman-Larsson for the final four games of the regular season due to an upper-body injury, while Jake McCabe missed the final seven outings with an upper-body ailment. Based on today’s practice, however, both are healthy and ready to go for Game 1 versus the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, both Max Pacioretty and David Kampf appear to be sitting out Game 1, and perhaps longer, though both are expected to be options for head coach Craig Berube later in the series. Pacioretty has been on long-term injured reserve since suffering an undisclosed injury in early February, while Kampf has missed seven games with an upper-body injury.

With Pacioretty and Kampf unavailable to begin the series, Nick Robertson is expected to remain in the lineup. The 23-year-old recorded 15 goals and 22 points through 69 games this season.

In between the pipes, it appears as though Anthony Stolarz will get the first playoff start of his career. The 31-year-old, who agreed to a two-year deal with the Leafs last offseason, was excellent when healthy in 2024-25, posting a 2.14 GAA along with a .928 SV% through 34 appearances.

This series marks the first time since 2004 that we have seen the Leafs and Senators go head-to-head in the playoffs. They’ve met four times in total, with the Leafs winning all four matchups.

Game 1 is set to get underway at Scotiabank Arena with puck drop set for 7 pm ET.

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