Maple Leafs down another forward with Domi on IR
The Toronto Maple Leafs' forward group has taken another hit with Max Domi landing on injured reserve because of a lower-body ailment Wednesday.
The move is retroactive to Saturday. Domi won't be eligible to return until Sunday's clash against Utah since he must miss a minimum of seven days.
Toronto recalled forward Nikita Grebenkin from the AHL in a corresponding move.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said Wednesday that Domi "just needed some rest," according to the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby. The bench boss revealed Tuesday that Domi was "banged up."
Domi is the sixth veteran forward who will be unavailable Wednesday night for the Maple Leafs when they play host to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Superstar sniper Auston Matthews is set to miss his seventh consecutive game with an upper-body injury for which he's sought treatment in Germany, while winger Max Pacioretty hasn't played since suffering an apparent leg injury Nov. 9 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Bottom-six center David Kampf was placed on injured reserve Tuesday - also retroactive to Saturday - with a lower-body issue, and the Leafs called up Fraser Minten as a result. Calle Jarnkrok, meanwhile, has yet to make his season debut and was labeled month-to-month Monday after undergoing groin and sports hernia surgery.
Finally, Ryan Reaves is out of action after earning a five-game suspension for catching Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse up high with an illegal hit during Saturday's clash.
Grebenkin projects to make his NHL debut Wednesday as a result of the absences. The 2022 fifth-rounder has four goals and 10 points in 13 AHL outings so far this season.
"I feel perfect," Grebenkin said when asked if he was feeling any nerves, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "Let's go work today."
Minten is set to make his season debut as the Leafs' third-line center against Vegas. He was sidelined by an ankle sprain to start the campaign, but he's logged two tallies and two assists in five AHL contests since his return.
The 20-year-old got into four NHL games in 2023-24.
Berube said Tuesday that playing star winger Mitch Marner at center was "definitely an option" for his depleted squad, per The Hockey News' Evan Doerfler. Marner has never lined up at center in his 595-game NHL career.
It doesn't sound as though the Leafs will be pulling that card against the Golden Knights, though. Berube announced before the game that Pontus Holmberg will be moving to the middle of the ice, according to TSN's Mark Masters.
Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.