The Toronto Maple Leafs had a few developments announced in advance of the team’s game tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Most important of them was the news that star forward William Nylander would return to the lineup after a one-game absence. Nylander has become the Maple Leafs’ most important winger since the offseason departure of Mitch Marner. The 29-year-old has 31 points in 20 games this season, good for the team lead over veteran John Tavares, who has 28 points. Nylander missed the team’s last game with an illness.
While Nylander returned to the lineup, forward Matias Maccelli and Calle Jarnkrok were held out of the lineup as healthy scratches. Neither player has had as strong of a season as they’d likely have hoped for, and from a production perspective, that’s especially true in the case of Jarnkrok. The 34-year-old has just four goals in 19 games, and no assists. Jarnkrok has never been an overwhelming producer of offense, but he did notch 39 points in 2022-23. Maccelli is in a similar boat, with his 2025-26 numbers coming below the standard he’d set in prior campaigns. Maccelli scored 57 points in 2023-24, but struggled in 2024-25 and has continued those struggles into 2025-26. Maccelli has nine points through 22 games this season.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported tonight that Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit missed tonight’s game for personal reasons. No additional information was provided, something that is standard and expected for absences due to personal reasons. Benoit’s spot in the lineup was filled by veteran Philippe Myers. The 6’5″ blueliner has operated in a reserve capacity for the Maple Leafs so far this season, skating in a total of 10 games, averaging 14:13 time on ice per game.
- According to reporter Keegan Jarvis, who covers the Hartford Wolf Pack for Blueshirt Banter, forward Juuso Parssinen suffered an injury in his first game with the Wolf Pack and is now out on a week-to-week timeline. Parssinen was reassigned to Hartford on Nov. 26 after clearing waivers that same day. The 24-year-old was signed to a two-year, $1.25MM AAV extension by the Rangers, who believed he could fill their need for a third-line center when they acquired him from the Colorado Avalanche. But Parssinen was passed on the depth chart by rookie Noah Laba, and has now found himself in the AHL. Before he can get back onto the ice and try to earn his way back into the NHL, Parssinen will now need to work his way back to full health.