Maple Leafs' Max Pacioretty Out Of Lineup This Weekend, Connor Dewar Could Play Sunday Against Blackhawks
Jan 11, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Pacioretty (67) during warm up before a game against the Vancouver Canucks at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn ImagesThe Toronto Maple Leafs could be getting one of their injured players back this weekend.
Connor Dewar has skated in every practice since the team returned from the break on Tuesday. The 25-year-old has been out since Jan. 20 with an upper-body injury but could make a return on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
"Dewar is close," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said Saturday. "He could be available tomorrow."
Max Pacioretty, on the other hand, will not play this weekend, Berube said. He's been dealing with tightness after tweaking something ahead of Toronto's second practice on Wednesday.
He skated briefly before Maple Leafs practice on Friday.
"I think it's more of he needs to get relief. It's not so much of an injury, I don't believe," the head coach added Friday.
"It's just he's got some tightness and things like that. So I think it's just he could come in tomorrow and feel a lot better. I thought he said he felt better today, which was good. But just not capable of getting out there and practicing yet."
Pacioretty has missed time this season because of injuries, though has appeared in 37 games, scoring five goals and eight assists.
With Pacioretty and Dewar out, that means Alex Steeves — who's gotten a handful of games with the Maple Leafs this season — will draw into the lineup on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The forward has one assist through 11 NHL games since making his debut in Dec. 2021.
"He's got the capability of putting the puck in the net for sure," Berube said of Steeves Saturday. "He's an effort player. He works extremely hard. He's competitive. We'll see how it goes."
The 25-year-old is projected to line up on the fourth line alongside Steven Lorentz and David Kampf given that's where Dewar skated on Friday. Steeves skated with Calle Jarnkrok and Matthew Knies throughout the week, but will likely shift down the lineup as Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner return from 4 Nations.
Toronto takes on Carolina on Saturday and will head to Chicago following the game to take on the Blackhawks on Sunday.
Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.