Leafs officially place Mitch Marner on LTIR.

Mitch Marner, a winger with the Toronto Maple Leafs, has had a difficult few weeks due to an injury that has sidelined him since he suffered a high ankle sprain against the Boston Bruins on March 7. The media was informed at the time by Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe that Marner’s injury wasn’t as serious as it first seemed and that he was “day-to-day from being day-to-day”. That was three weeks prior. The 26-year-old winger’s story has now taken a fresh turn when he was placed on LTIR on Saturday.

Marner was placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve by the Leafs on Saturday morning, with effect from March 7th. The organization has also brought up rookie defenseman Marshall Rifai from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL in retaliation. The team stated that the change was made for “roster management purposes” in a statement on Twitter/X on Saturday.

Shortly after the initial announcement, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman was quick to note that this roster move is heavily influenced by the salary cap and that Marner can be activated from LTIR tomorrow in order to make his way back into the starting lineup this coming week.

This is consistent with information that was provided this week by Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, who stated that Marner will be worked into the team’s upcoming practice on Tuesday before being re-incorporated into the starting lineup. Before Marner rejoins the team, Keefe wants him to get back up to speed in competitive settings, so it’s likely that he won’t play against Florida on Monday.

Marner has accumulated 76 points for the Leafs through 62 games this season, including 25 goals and 51 assists.