Maple Leafs Offer Injury Update on William Nylander

The Toronto Maple Leafs have offered an update on the injury status of forward William Nylander. Just a few minutes ago, they announced that he will not return to the game between the Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators due to a lower-body injury.

Maple Leafs F William Nylander will not return to tonight’s game (lower body).

— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) December 28, 2025

Nylander missed most of the second period and did not return. Bobby McMann and Matthews Knies took turns filling in when the John Tavares line was deployed. Nylander’s last shift ended with 13:38 left in the second period.

Clearly, if Nylander misses any significant time, it’s a huge blow to the roster and the Maple Leafs chances of making the playoffs. However, it’s far too early to determine if this is anything more than just the winger being out the rest of the game.

As of this writing, the Maple Leafs are beating the Senators by a score of 6-5. The Senators are fighting back after a three-goal lead by Toronto.

Things Keep Getting Worse for the Maple Leafs

This has been a rough season for the Leafs. A struggling campaign that included a coaching change at the assistant level. there’s been talk about roster changes and the security of head coach Craig Berube’s job. One thing that was cleared up on Saturday is that Pete DeBoer is not in the running to be the team’s next head coach.

The former Stars head coach reportedly reached out to Berube to address the team’s struggles last week. DeBoer wanted to clarify that, despite speculation linking him to the Leafs’ coaching vacancy, he had no interest in getting involved. He sent a note through a friend to ensure Berube knew DeBoer wasn’t trying to scoop any sort of coaching position. DeBoer wanted to reassure Berube that any rumors about him replacing the Leafs coach were false.

Next: Berube’s Choices: Stolarz Injured, But What’s Up with Cowan?