Auston Matthews has some action this season, leading to a dip in his usual production. Can the star come back to reach 50 goals this season? The Wraparound Show discusses it. Max Pacioretty was set to take the ice with his Toronto Maple Leafs teammates before returning to the locker room before the session began. "He tweaked something right when he went out there," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said. "So I really don't have any definite answers yet on him. I don't think it's serious, but we'll just have to see where he's at." Pacioretty was a full participant during the Leafs' first full practice since the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The 36-year-old signed a one-year deal worth $1.5 million with the Maple Leafs before the season began. He already reached his maximum payout of his performance bonus having played 37 games this season where he has scored five goals and added eight assists. Pacioretty sustained a lower-body injury on Nov. 7 in a game against the Montreal Canadiens that forced him to miss a month of action. On Jan 18, Pacioretty took a puck to the ear in a game against the Canadiens. Although he finished the game, the veteran did not return to action until Jan. 29 due to the upper-body injury. The Leafs appear to be on the mend otherwise with forward Connor Dewar participating in practice. He's been on injured reserve with an upper-body injury since Jan. 20. Defenseman Jani Hakanpaa also took part in the team's second practice since returning from the break. "I think we're in pretty good shape. You know, it was unfortunate with Patch today. Hopefully it's nothing serious." Berube reiterated. "Jarny's working his way back here. He's doing well, so that's good to see. You know, putting in full practice now. And the other guy with Hakanpaa again, that's two days straight, so we'll see where he gets to. But I think we're in pretty good shape health-wise right now, knock on wood. We've got a tough stretch come up here, a lot of hockey. So it would be nice to stay healthy, but you only can control what you can control, right? And Dewar, he was out there today. Couldn't do everything, but he did a lot. So I think he's making good progress, too. And, you know, he'll be in practice again coming up here and see where he gets to. But he's on the right way up." Berube also talked about the plan for William Nylander, who remained off the ice and recapped the second day of practice. Q: When the 4 Nations wraps up, you've had a team that's had some guys 10 days off, and then Mitch (Marner) and Auston (Matthews) have had one. How difficult is it going to be to reintegrate those guys? Do you worry about rest? You know, I guess a little bit. But, like, you know, they've played games and they haven't had a ton of rest, but there's been times where they've had rest too during this tournament. You know, listen, it is what it is. They're going to get back Friday, and we've got to come out of the game. We've got a game Saturday and Sunday. So, you know, when they get here, I'll have conversations with them and see how they feel and where they're at. Q: What was Day 2 (of practice) like? "Good day today, I thought. We worked good work day today, you know. Did a lot of things. A lot of battle, a lot of pace, and just some scrimmaging at the end just to get them acclimated back. But I thought it was a good work day by our guys. They put in a good effort today, and I like the day today. Q: Just curious about the one-on-one drill you guys did in the corner with the nets that are facing now. "The battle dome. It's just getting back to competing and battling in the corners and things like that. You know, you lose that, right? You go away for 10 days. And, you know, it's such a big part of the game that it's important to work on it a little bit. So, you know, even yesterday we did a little bit of it. Today, you know, maybe we'll get a little bit more in on Friday." Q: Morgan (Rielly, turn the corner and going into the green. How important is it for him to go in that way? "Well, it's very important. You know, I just – I think you can see the confidence in him more than anything for me. Playing the game with anticipation a little bit more and jumping up in the play and do things offensively that he's very good at. So we need to keep, you know, pushing that with him, along with our other D. You know, we've got to get more active." Q: When someone like Calle Jarnkrok returns, do you envision him as a guy who could play down the middle for you guys or someone who could be on the way? "Well, I think he can do anything, personally. And I don't know him that well, but what I see from him and what I heard, you know, other people talk. He's a very intelligent player and very capable of playing all three positions up front. And obviously, you know, he's a reliable guy. He's a good penalty killer. You know, he's out there at the end of games, but he can provide some offense too. He does make plays. And like I said, he has a good brain. So he's kind of a Swiss Army Knife." Q: For William (Nylander), it was just giving him another day to recover from everything. "Yeah we talked yesterday, Willy. He'd take another day. And, you know, like we're going to stay off the ice tomorrow as a team. Some guys might go out for sure, but we'll see – we'll probably see Willy around here tomorrow." Q: Did you have to convince him because he likes to be out there? Yeah, he – you know, I think it was a lot for him, you know, going there. And the whole – like, you know, I think it's mentally tough too that these tournaments, a lot of stress, right? You don't get a break really. You get right back into it. So it's tiring on the brain more than probably the body. "Yeah we talked yesterday, Willy. He'd take another day. And, you know, like we're going to stay off the ice tomorrow as a team. Some guys might go out for sure, but we'll see – we'll probably see Willy around here tomorrow." Q: Is there a team plan to watch the 4 Nations final tomorrow? No, I don't think so. I'll watch it by myself probably. We'll see though. That's a good idea. Maybe we'll talk to the boys about that. We'll see. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] 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 [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
