Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs right winger Mitch Marner was the victim of an armed carjacking Monday.

We can confirm Mitch Marner was the unfortunate victim of a carjacking in Etobicoke on Monday evening. He was unharmed in the incident and the Club & Mitch are thankful for Toronto Police Services’ support. Anyone with information is asked to reach out to Toronto Police Services.

— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) May 17, 2022

After Toronto Police tweeted that a man was robbed of a black Range Rover by three suspects using two handguns and a knife, Joe Warmington of the Toronto Sun reported Marner was the victim.

"He's doing all right," a source said.

Police said he was not physically hurt, while another source said Marner was going to see a movie when "the guys approached wearing masks and said they wanted the vehicle. Mitch said, 'Go ahead and take it.'"

The suspects also apparently were unaware Marner was the victim.

The 25-year-old has been with the Maple Leafs his entire NHL career, which started during the 2016-17 campaign.

He was a 2020 All-Star and posted a career-best 97 points on 35 goals and 62 assists this past season.

Toronto was eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.

It happened again.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, for the sixth straight season, have lost a first-round playoff series. That makes it 17 seasons without a playoff series victory, to say nothing of a Cup drought that has lingered since 1967.

Analyzing the series itself, it's hard to fault the Leafs. Toronto dominated in the regular season, finishing fourth overall in the NHL. The divisional playoff format and an unusually strong Atlantic Division meant they had an extremely difficult first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who finished with 110 points and are, of course, two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions.

And the Leafs put up a hell of a fight. Both teams had their moments, and this was a tight matchup from start to finish. In fact, Toronto actually outscored Tampa Bay 24-23. Game 7 was a dead heat, with Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy standing on his head; he let up just one goal despite the Leafs generating 3.42 expected goals, per Evolving Hockey.

What if a couple of pucks bounced a few centimeters left or right? What if the referees made different calls in pivotal moments? What if Vasilevskiy was slightly more human on Saturday? It's just as easy to imagine the Leafs winning this coin flip of a series, and nobody would have questioned the Lightning's efforts in such a loss. This was a seven-game marathon that would have been a worthy Stanley Cup Final. The Leafs were dealt a miserable hand, played an incredible series and fell one goal short.

History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. Many of these themes—bad luck, running into a hot goaltender, barely conceding a tight series that went seven games—have been repeated over and over again. Maybe that's nothing more than bad luck, but at this point it's hard to fault anyone who thinks there's something more to it.

What would that be, though? There are flaws in the Toronto roster. The team lacks a true cornerstone No. 1 defenseman. There's room for improvement in goal. Jack Campbell has been inconsistent and had an average series. At a minimum, the Leafs must add a goaltender who can push him for the starting spot. No team is perfect. Not Tampa Bay. Not the St. Louis Blues, who are advancing to Round 2 with three real NHL defensemen. Certainly not the Edmonton Oilers. In fact, if one were to rank NHL teams by their weakest links, Toronto would fair better than most.

It's easy to say that these results indicate that something is fundamentally broken in Toronto. It's a lot more difficult to actually cite the specific problems. Maybe you ax head coach Sheldon Keefe or even president Brendan Shanahan or general manager Kyle Dubas. Maybe it gives the fanbase a cathartic release and a sense that something is changing.

But what specifically have Leafs coaches and management done wrong the last few seasons? They've nailed all of their lottery picks and have returned incredible value on their late-round draft picks. They've done a great job developing prospects into quality players. Unlike most teams, the Leafs lack any obvious anchor contracts. They have star talent, both grown at home and recruited elsewhere, as well as depth down the fourth line and third defensive pairing.

The product has been nothing short of phenomenal in the regular season. The Leafs were elite this season both offensively and defensively. Their special teams, a weak point last season, came through this time around. Mitch Marner and William Nylander, scapegoats of the past, had career years. Keefe had this team looking dangerous.

So perhaps this team is less than the sum of its parts. Something about the locker room mix or on-ice combinations leads to some sort of mental block, some self-destructive behavior, once a playoff series is on the line.

Again, what is the actual problem and how can the Leafs act on it? It surely isn't a lack of veteran leadership. Three different players—John Tavares, Jason Spezza and Mark Giordano—were successful NHL captains prior to joining the Leafs. There are multiple players who have been through the wringer and have reputations as having great character. There are no indications of locker room toxicity. If you're going to take a sledgehammer to the roster's core, who specifically gets sacrificed? Marner? Nylander? Tavares? In what world could the Leafs possibly come out the other side improved?

There are many ways the Leafs could overhaul the makeup of the team: a new voice behind the bench; mainstays of these failures dealt with fresh blood coming into the locker room; a complete makeover of management. Could that lead to better results? Sure.

It's also a lot easier to imagine the many ways that could do more harm than good. The politician's fallacy, or making change for the sake of change, reeks of desperation and impulsivity rather than a coherent process. Previously, Phil Kessel was labeled as persona non grata in Toronto—a prima donna who lacked the mental makeup to succeed in big moments. He was exiled to Pittsburgh, where he promptly helped the previously underachieving Pittsburgh Penguins win two straight Stanley Cups.

But six straight first-round exits. Six! With sympathies to the Toronto faithful whose patience reserves are emptied, maybe the only option is to not panic and trust the process. This is an incredible team that just can't seem to catch a break. At some point, the dice are going to have to roll in their favor and they'll get rewarded. They just have to.

Right?

Frederik Andersen jumped on to the scene as a young goalie in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Anaheim Ducks had lost trust in their No. 1 goalie, Jonas Hiller, and instead turned to their rookie netminder. 

Fast-forward to 2022, with Andersen now with the Carolina Hurricanes but injured to begin the playoffs, many wondered whether this would be the moment for another rising rookie, 22-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov. Instead, the net went to veteran goalie Antti Raanta, and he delivered in his first-ever playoff start, backstopping Carolina to a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of their first-round series. 

The Carolina goaltending situation was one of the biggest storylines to come from the first night of the2022 NHL playoffs. The Toronto Maple Leafs' decisive win over the Tampa Bay Lightning was another. 

Here are five takeaways from the first night of postseason action. 

New Year, New Narratives

It's been nearly 20 years since the Maple Leafs have won a playoff round, but a 5-0 thrashing of the reigning Stanley Cup champs twice over has the Leafs faithful eager for more. If they advance past the first round, you will likely be able to point to the five-minute power play they killed off Monday as a catalyst. 

Early on, Kyle Clifford received a five-minute major and a game misconduct penalty for boarding Ross Colton, but Toronto actually generated more scoring chances than it surrendered during seven shorthanded minutes in the first period. David Kampf scored a shorthanded goal in the second period. The vaunted Tampa Bay power play went 0-for-5. 

Matthews and Marner faced significant criticism last year when the Maple Leafs were eliminated in seven games by the Montreal Canadiens. Two key team leaders and two major components to the lineup, Matthews scored only a single goal and assisted on five, while Marner scored none, which was the same amount he scored in the 2019-20 postseason. 

It's too early to see if the curse has been lifted, but there is such immense pressure on the Maple Leafs to get out of the first round, and yet Toronto thrived under it. 

Borderline Violence

Prior to the series starting, Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe gave us what could be the quote of the postseason:

"I expect it to be a very physical, borderline violent series in a lot of ways," he told reporters in Toronto. "And our guys will be ready for that."

A total of 122 penalty minutes were doled out in Game 1, so clearly the Leafs were, in fact, ready. A line brawl even broke out midway through the third period involving two longtime NHL tough guys in Corey Perry and Wayne Simmonds. 

The ESPN2 cameras cut away for a commercial during the post-whistle scrum, but there were skirmishes in other games as well. A suspension could also be coming from the department of player safety for Clifford's hit from behind on Colton. It would be unfortunate for Toronto, who relies on Clifford, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, to bring energy on the fourth line, but the Leafs proved they could win without him on Monday. 

This is the time of year when the levels of intensity and physicality go up a few notches. This is when you hear players say they need to "play between the whistles." The key is making sure the emotions don't boil over to the point that it becomes detrimental. 

Speaking of which… 

Un-Gentlemanly Conduct

The Minnesota Wild clinched home-ice advantage against their Central Division rivals St. Louis, but it didn't help much. David Perron scored a hat trick for the Blues in a 4-0 win, and Ville Husso became the first St. Louis goalie to record a shutout in his playoff debut, but all of that was overshadowed by a late penalty for a crosscheck by Jared Spurgeon. 

With 1:34 left in the game, Spurgeon was tied up with Pavel Buchnevich. Frustrated by his inability to connect on the puck with Buchnevich upending him, he crosschecked the back of the Blues forward's legs, slamming his stick down with considerable force. It didn't really matter that the Wild was left shorthanded for the rest of the game—it was lost well before the penalty—but it was a dangerous play that is going to get reviewed by the department of player safety and could land him a suspension. 

It was also uncharacteristic and unbecoming of a captain. Spurgeon was a Lady Byng finalist last season and is a perennial candidate for the sportsmanship award given to the most "gentlemanly" player combined with a high standard of playing ability.

A captain goes down with the ship. He doesn't put himself in a position to sit out games. 

The Blues are 13-1-1 in their last 15 games against the Wild. Ouch. 

Storm Surged

The Bruins have a relentless forecheck. Carolina did its best to stop it, but if you look at the underlying numbers, you'll see this was a pretty evenly matched game. Shot attempts at 5-on-5 were 56-48 in favor of Boston, scoring chances were 24-23 and high-danger chances were 11-11. But the power play woes resurfaced for the Bruins. Despite the fact that Boston generated chances on the first two power plays, the third didn't even yield a single shot attempt. 

There was also some consternation in the Bruins net. Linus Ullmark made the start for Boston and at one point gave up a goal off his mask. Do the Bruins go with rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman in Game 2? Ullmark started because Swayman struggled down the stretch, going 4-6-0 with an .877 save percentage in the final 10 games. 

It's possible he hit a wall and these last few days off have been beneficial for him. But there is no doubt a tandem that once looked strong is suddenly in doubt.

But the story today is Raanta. 

"For me, it was obviously the first start in the playoffs in the NHL," Raanta said in his postgame press conference. "I was just trying to focus on the things that have (allowed me) to be successful. It was working nicely. But it's only one game, one win, and now it's just regrouping and getting ready for Wednesday."

One-Man Rush

Connor McDavid did very Connor McDavid-like things against the Los Angeles Kings. You can call it an odd-man rush because technically one is an odd number, but it was a 1-on-5 with McDavid as the lone man in an orange and blue jersey in the offensive zone. 

With the Kings up 2-0 in the final minute of the first period, McDavid picked up the puck in the defensive zone and picked up some serious speed. He went 1-on-everyone and skated coast-to-coast, going down the boards and cutting through two defenders while another two failed to pick up his movement and another watched helplessly as he sniped one past Jonathan Quick from the edge of the right circle. 

It was an absurd goal scored by one of the most elite players in the world. He just completely walked the Kings' entire five-man unit. 

But when Leon Draisaitl scored around the 10-minute mark of the second period to tie the game at 3-3, it underscored the fact that McDavid and Draisaitl can put a team on their backs and win on their own. The Oilers don't have to be fantastic, but they don't completely roll over, this team will stay in games. 

However, staying in games isn't good enough for McDavid, who is desperate for a championship. And that desperation may be needed after the Kings grabbed a late goal to take a 1-0 series lead.

Phillip Danault scored after an incredible sequence that saw Mike Smith turn the puck over off the back of the boards, then dive back to the crease to make a save before Danualt tipped Sean Durzi's point shot into the net.

"I was just trying to make something happen," Smith told reporters in his postgame press conference. "Obviously, just trying to do too much there. In a tight game like that, you can't afford to make mistakes like that. It ended up costing us the game." 

Smith has lost his last 10 playoff games, including all six he has played for the Oilers. 

We’re in the dog days of the 2021-22 NHL regular season. The cellar-dwelling teams are beating each other up in meaningless games while the top teams in each conference jostle for Stanley Cup Playoff positioning. 

The Eastern Conference playoff grouping has been set for months, with the only thing left to determine is the final bracket. Over in the Western Conference, the wild card has yet to be determined. The Vegas Golden Knights could potentially miss the playoffs for the first time since the franchise’s history. The Vancouver Canucks still have an outside chance of leapfrogging Vegas and Dallas for that last wild-card spot. 

And, of course, there is always a chance the high-powered Golden Knights get some of their firepower back and manage to pull ahead of the Los Angeles Kings to save their season. 

Lots of scenarios are still in play. 

Matchups are everything in the playoffs. Unlike in the regular season, when weaknesses can be minimized in a single game, a seven-game series allows some teams to exploit another's weakness or neutralize the opposition's strength. It's enough time to figure out how to pick apart a power play and how a goalie moves.Br

Sometimes two teams match up well, but other times it's a disastrous draw. 

Here are five matchups that fall into the latter category and why. 

New York Rangers: Pittsburgh Penguins

The New York Rangers will successfully take the next step in their rebuild when they return to the playoffs (technically, they only reached the postseason portion of the 2020 bubble tournament and not the playoff portion, failing to make it out of the qualifying round) for the first time since 2017.

They have a lineup full of elite talent at the top and emerging young stars throughout, plus a goalie who should be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in Igor Shesterkin.

The lineup has also done a good job of limiting chances in front of Shesterkin, and their power play is exceptionally good, with the Blueshirts' 26.6 percent conversion being the second-best in the NHL.

The top unit with the man advantage might be one of the best, with Chris Kreider (the third-leading scorer in the league), Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, Mika Zibanejad and defending Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox. The addition of Andrew Copp to the second unit has given them a tougher net-front presence, but that second unit doesn't see a whole lot of time since the top one takes care of business. 

However, the Rangers generate surprisingly little offense at 5-on-5, ranking toward the bottom of the league in Corsi, scoring chances and expected goals for. New York typically wins by winning the special teams battle and goaltending, making its Metropolitan Division foes in the Pittsburgh Penguins, the least penalized team in the NHL this season, its most potentially daunting challenge.

The Penguins also have the second-best penalty kill in the league and a ton of postseason experience. The Rangers' leaders aren't completely devoid of playoff experience, but it's tough to match that of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jeff Carter and even former Ranger Brian Boyle. 

Maybe this is where we see the changing of the guard, with the Rangers overcoming their even-strength issues and their young players knocking off the legendary vets, especially since the Rangers are 3-1-0 against Pittsburgh this season and have outscored the Penguins 11-4.

But on paper, this isn't a good matchup. 

Colorado Avalanche: Vegas Golden Knights

The Colorado Avalanche have been playing with a chip on their shoulder after losing in the second round to the Vegas Golden Knights last season. A meeting again in early rounds would be a nightmare for reasons other than just the statistical matchup because the Avs have been the better team all season.

Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty could get healthy enough for the playoffs when the salary cap doesn't matter, and the club would be out of the woods with the cap constraints. That would give Vegas an even deeper lineup than they had last spring when they knocked out Colorado in six games since Jack Eichel has joined the club.

The Avs have been the favorites in the Western Conference all season but have dealt with their own injury issues, with captain Gabriel Landeskog currently on injured reserve while he recovers from knee surgery. Nazem Kadri, who is second on the team with 83 points, is expected to return by the playoffs.

However, should Colorado continue to struggle with injuries and run into a fully healthy Golden Knights squad, they may struggle to avenge their playoff disappointment from a season ago.

Questions will be asked about last year's series, but Vegas has been a contender for four years. It's time for the Avs to show that they're a top team when it matters, and to do that, they may once again have to face off against Vegas.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Tampa Bay Lightning

If you’re looking at playoff history, as we just did above, you might be thinking the worst opponent for the Toronto Maple Leafs would be the Boston Bruins. The Leafs have lost their last six postseason series against Boston dating back to 1969.

The 2019 first-round loss still stings, but this is a better, deeper Leafs team that has a different coach, a different goalie and plays much better defense.

Instead, the nightmare matchup for Toronto would be the Tampa Bay Lightning. To be fair, the Lightning are a nightmare team for anyone to face. They haven't lost a postseason series since 2019, and they're still the champions until someone knocks them off.

These are two elite teams that would make for a great series.

Tampa Bay has the best quite possibly the best goaltender in the world in Andrei Vasilevskiy, a proven coach in Jon Cooper and a deep lineup.

The team lost its entire third line of Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde and Barclay Goodrow, as well as other players from those two Stanley Cup teams like Tyler Johnson, and hasn't missed a beat.

In Toronto, Auston Matthews has quickly become one of the most prolific scorers of this generation and is the type of game-breaking player that can make a difference in the playoffs. He scored his 55th goal of the season on Thursday night to set the Leafs' single-season record and the most for a U.S.-born NHL player.

Meanwhile, Mitch Marner has surpassed the 30-goal benchmark for the first time in his career.

Yet Matthews and Marner disappeared during their seven-game series with the Montreal Canadien last season. The Lightning have the defenders to neutralize even the best scorers, including Ryan McDonagh, who is expected to return as soon as this weekend. 

Meeting in the first round is a realistic scenario given the current Atlantic Division standings. There is immense pressure on Toronto to get out of the first round, and this is an opponent who can bring the pressure on and off the ice.

Much like the Colorado-Vegas matchup, this one is less about the statistics and more about the storyline and the narratives that surround the Leafs and Lighting.

Los Angeles Kings: Calgary Flames

The Los Angeles Kings will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. A decade ago, it looked as though they had an emerging dynasty, but the culture fell apart, key veterans departed and former general manager Dean Lombardi tried to keep the window open a little too long, failing to recognize that it had already shut.

Finally, Lombardi's successor, Rob Blake, decided to blow it up and rebuild in 2019. Blake kept some of that championship core, and Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick remain.

He stockpiled talent and quickly built one of the most impressive prospect pools in hockey. He hired coach Todd McLellan to guide the team through the lean years and get them ready for a return to contention.

Los Angeles is ahead of schedule and currently sitting in third place in the Pacific Division with 86 points, a near-lock to make the playoffs. And there is a chance they could face a familiar face: Darryl Sutter, the coach that guided them to two Stanley Cups and the current coach of the Calgary Flames.

Sutter hockey has proven to be effective throughout the years, and the Flames are proof that it's still working. It might a low-event style of play, but Calgary is scoring 3.48 goals per game, good for sixth in the league, and they're the third-highest shot volume team at 5-on-5 in the NHL. 

The Kings don't have the defense to withstand an offensive attack from Calgary. If Alexander Edler returns, as he is expected to soon, it will add another proven defender to the blueline. However, the club is unsure when Doughty can return from an upper-body injury, and without him, Los Angeles may not have enough to stop Calgary's offense. 

The Los Angeles power play is also the least effective amongst teams in playoff contention, as its 16.6 percent mark is 28th in the league. The Flames, meanwhile, happen to be one of the best penalty-killing teams, killing off 83.4 percent of the opponent's power-play opportunities. 

No one knows Sutter hockey like the Kings, but now that Kopitar, Doughty, Brown and Quick are on the other side, it might not be as much fun. 

Boston Bruins: Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes have outscored the Boston Bruins 16-1 in three meetings this year. Granted, one of those games was one of Tuukka Rask's final games in the NHL, and it was a disaster. However, Linus Ullmark didn't fare much better against the Canes in February, allowing all six goals in a 6-0 loss.

This matchup could be similar to a Kings-Flames series in that Carolina is a high shot-volume team, and Boston may not have the defense to contain their attack.

The Bruins added Hampus Lindholm at the trade deadline to deepen the blueline, and this team has been good at limiting scoring chances throughout the season.

They'll have to decide which goaltender to go with during the playoffs because a tandem is never really an effective plan past the regular season. They have two very good options in Jeremy Swayman and Ullmark, though, the latter of whom has played much better lately, going 6-0-0 with a .938 save percentage in his last seven games.

However, it's tough to argue with how many weapons Carolina has up front. This is an exceptionally deep team, especially at forward, where they can roll all four lines and overwhelm teams with the volume and quality of shots. They have defensemen with shutdown abilities like Brett Pesce and two who can jump into offensive plays in Jaccob Slavin and Tony DeAngelo.

It's a tough match for the Bruins, who have similar high-end talent but not as much as Carolina, especially on the blueline.

Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews established a new NHL record for the most goals by a U.S.-born player in a single season with 56 after finding the net twice in Thursday night's 4-3 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars.

Matthews, who also set a new Maple Leafs record with his 55th tally earlier in the contest, netted the OT winner for No. 56:

WHO ELSE?!?! pic.twitter.com/cmhtBnrEuW

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 8, 2022

"This was Auston's night,'' Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters. "It's much deserved and to finish it with an exclamation point."

Matthews passed Jimmy Carson and Kevin Stevens, who'd jointly held the record for nearly three decades, to set the new U.S. mark.

The 24-year-old California native, who spent most of his childhood in Arizona, has put together a dominant season that's moved him to the forefront of the Hart Trophy conversation as the NHL's regular-season MVP.

His 56 goals lead the league and are six more than his closest competition, Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers. He's added 41 assists to give him 97 points, which rank fifth.

Matthews' success is a major reason the Leafs are on the verge of securing a playoff berth courtesy of their 46-19-6 record. Their 98 points are tied for fourth in the NHL with the New York Rangers.

The center took a moment to recognize his record-setting night, but he mostly kept the focus on Toronto's ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.

"It means a lot," Matthews said. "The names that have come before us, just to be in the same breath as some as these guys, it's extremely humbling. It's a big honor. But obviously, we're working towards something bigger than this."

The 2016 No. 1 overall pick is only in the midst of his sixth NHL season, but he already ranks 41st on the all-time U.S.-born goal-scoring list at 255. Brett Hull is the record-holder at 741.

Matthews, who's been on a tear lately with 19 goals in his past 15 games, will look to keep that hot streak alive over the final 11 games of the regular season and into the playoffs.

Next up for the Leafs is a home game against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews continues making history in his sixth season with the franchise. 

During the second period of Thursday's game against the Dallas Stars, Matthews set the Maple Leafs' single-season scoring record with his 55th goal of the 2021-22 campaign. 

AU5TON MATTHEW5!! pic.twitter.com/xWE2R0bGW1

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 8, 2022

Rick Vaive, who played for the Maple Leafs for eight years from the 1979-80 campaign through the 1986-87 season, previously held the record with the 54 goals he scored during the 1981-82 season. 

Matthews is on pace to win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer for the first time in his career. The next player closest to him in scoring is Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who enters Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings with 50 goals. 

The Maple Leafs selected Matthews first overall in the 2016 draft. During his rookie season, he scored 40 goals and added 29 helpers to capture the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie. 

Since then, he has notched at least 34 goals in each of his six seasons and has scored at least 40 goals in four seasons. What's most impressive about Matthews is that most of his goals come at even strength, though his 55th goal of the 2021-22 campaign was scored on the power play. 

The Maple Leafs are primed to make the playoffs behind Matthews and his historic season. Toronto entered Thursday's game with the second-best record in the Atlantic Division and would take a commanding lead over the third-place Boston Bruins with a win in Dallas. 

Toronto would move to 46-19-6 and have 98 points. Boston has a 44-21-5 record and 93 points entering a Friday matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas announced Wednesday that 20-year-old prospect Rodion Amirov has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Dubas said the Leafs are working with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Amirov's team in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia, to "monitor his treatment and care":

Rodion commenced the 2021-22 season with Salavat Ufa of the KHL but suffered an injury to open the season. During the course of his recovery from this injury, he developed some new, unrelated symptoms that required ongoing extensive investigations over the last few months.

Rodion is currently undergoing treatment at a medical facility in Germany and will not return to play for the remainder of the season.

Dan Milstein, Amirov's agent, also released a statement saying the Russian winger continues to work out daily and plans to resume his hockey career:

Official statement re: Rodion Amirov’s health. #WeAreGoldStar! pic.twitter.com/9XcqRzpUxd

— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) February 23, 2022

Toronto selected Amirov with the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft.

The Leafs signed the 6'0", 177-pound winger to an entry-level contract in April as he continued his development with Salavat Yulaev. He recorded three points (one goal and two assists) in 10 KHL appearances during the 2021-22 season before the injury and subsequent tumor diagnosis.

He also starred in the 2021 World Junior Championships, scoring six points (two goals and four assists) in seven contests to help Russia reach the semifinals.

Amirov expressed excitement about being drafted into the Leafs organization in 2020.

"It is a great responsibility and honor that they chose me in the draft. I will not let them down in the future," he said, per the Toronto Sun. "It is every guy's dream to be among those chosen by an NHL team, and especially Toronto Maple Leafs—a club with such an organization and a great history."

In August, Corey Pronman of The Athletic ranked Amirov as Toronto's second-best prospect behind defenseman Rasmus Sandin.

"His skating pops when you watch him," Pronman wrote. "He has good speed and excellent edge work. He has great ability to cut back in open ice and spin off pressure. He combined his great feet with impressive puck skills and playmaking ability, making difficult plays with the puck on the move at a quick pace."

Dubas said the Leafs won't comment any further while Amirov undergoes treatment.

The Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs will play in front of empty home stadiums for the immediate future because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael Ranger of CityNews Toronto reported chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore announced indoor capacity for venues such as arenas and theaters can either host 1,000 people or 50 percent capacity, depending on which one is lower.

The NBA's Raptors and NHL's Maple Leafs responded by saying they will not sell tickets starting Friday and will reassess the restrictions in three weeks.

Ranger noted this announcement comes after Ontario reported 13,807 new infections and 965 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 on Thursday. The province is also delaying in-person learning for schools from Jan. 3 until at least Jan. 5.

While the Raptors and Maple Leafs are looking to limit exposure for their players, coaches and employees by not selling tickets as the numbers spike, both the NBA and NHL have faced significant challenges.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported 36 percent of the NBA's officials are in COVID-19 protocols, which has forced the Association to turn toward G League referees as replacement options.

In fact, the G League has paused its season entirely so there are enough players and officials to replace those who are sidelined. The NBA has already postponed a number of games with players across the league out in part because of COVID-19, including Thursday's game between the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.

Warriors star Draymond Green was not pleased with the latest developments:         

How do you continue to cancel games when you’ve implemented rules to prevent this from happening? Is that not a competitive advantage for other teams? The guys we didn’t have due to the protocol list played no role in Tuesdays loss? Pick a side but don’t straddle the fence.

— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) December 30, 2021

So when the game is rescheduled(which will probably take a day away from our “break”), we wil play them at full strength… But they got to sneak a win when we weren’t at full strength, only two days ago??? Let’s make it make some sense here.

— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) December 30, 2021

Not to mention, this will more than likely add a back to back to our schedule, which is also advantage Denver.

— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) December 30, 2021

The NHL has also postponed a number of games and even paused the season earlier this month to give players an opportunity to get healthier. That decision came after the league and its players association temporarily suspended cross-border games between teams in the United States and Canada.

The Maple Leafs have not played since Dec. 14 and are scheduled to face the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 1. The Raptors lost to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday and are scheduled to host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.               

The NHL has postponed three more games this week because of COVID-19, the league announced Sunday. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators are the teams impacted.

The NHL and NHL Players Association also agreed to the reintroduction of taxi squads in order to provide teams with players who can be recalled to avoid having games postponed in the future. 

Each team will be allowed to have a taxi squad of up to six players. In addition, teams are allowed to make emergency recalls from the minors if COVID-19 were to prevent them from playing with a full lineup. 

Taxi squads will be in effect until at least the All-Star break in February. Players on the taxi squad will count as being in the for the salary cap and can be there for a minimum of 20 days. 

The NHL also had taxi squads during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. 

Several players have entered COVID-19 health and safety protocols since returning from the holiday break, including Bruins forward Charlie Coyle, Maple Leafs forward Williams Nylander and Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues. 

The NHL began its holiday break earlier than expected this year because of a rise in positive COVID-19 cases across the league. Every team was shut down beginning Dec. 22, though most were on pause before that point. 

Several teams are set to return to action on Tuesday, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks.

Because of postponements across the league and rise in COVID-19 cases, the NHL and NHLPA also recently decided that players would not attend the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The league needs the two-week break in the February schedule to make up more than 50 postponed games.