The Toronto Maple Leafs are placing forward Ryan O’Reilly on long-term injured reserve with a broken finger.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said Monday there’s no set timeline for O’Reilly’s return. He’ll have to sit out at least 10 games and 24 days, but he is expected back for the playoffs, Keefe said.
The Leafs also will be without captain John Tavares (illness) for Tuesday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils, the finale of a five-game road trip.
O’Reilly, 32, was injured in Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, when he took an Auston Matthews’ shot off his hand. Keefe said O’Reilly was in Toronto seeing a specialist and not in New Jersey with the club.
Postgame, his left index finger was protected by a splint.
Toronto acquired O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues in a three-team trade last month. O’Reilly played in eight games with the Leafs before the injury.
“Obviously when you get him, you get excited and you know what he can bring, so for us to lose him, certainly it’s tough and disappointing, but we’ve acquired him to be healthy and ready to go for the playoffs and that that will be the case,” Keefe said Monday. “To that end, it’s not bad in terms of what the bigger picture is.”
O’Reilly has three goals and two assists for the Leafs so far. He has 24 points (15 goals, nine assists) overall this season between the Blues and Leafs.
Also on Monday, the Maple Leafs recalled forwards Pontus Holmberg and Alex Steeves from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
–Field Level Media