Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Erik Gustafsson is back on the ice following an upper-body sustained earlier in the week. Erik Gustafsson was back on the ice at Ford Performance Centre on Saturday morning taking shots on goal and working on his conditioning with skills development coach Denver [gallery ids="5178,5179,5180,5181"] Gustafsson was scheduled to dress against the Florida Panthers this past Monday when he injured himself during the warmup. He was a late scratch for the contest and Luke Schenn was slotted in at the last minute. Following the team's skills session on Saturday, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said Gustafsson was "progressing" and expected to join the team for practice on Sunday. The 30-year-old was set to skate on the team's first power-play unit in that game with Morgan Rielly slotted in on the second unit. Last week, Gustafsson recorded three assists and the power-play score four times in a 7-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens. That was with Rielly out of the lineup. It's been an on-and-off again tenure for Gustafsson in Toronto. Acquired on Feb. 28 from the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Rasmus Sandin and the Boston Bruins' first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Gustafsson got into seven games before he departed the Maple Leafs to tend to his daughter who was diagnosed with celiac. The Maple Leafs begin their 2023 Stanley Cup playoff run on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the playoffs around the corner, the club will have a lot of extra bodies and Gustafsson's offensive ability could be counted on depending on the situation. Related NHL Releases Maple Leafs and Lightning First-Round Stanley Cup Playoffs Schedule, Where to Watch [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/nhl-releases-maple-leafs-and-lightning-first-round-stanley-cup-playoffs-schedule-where-to-watch] Maple Leafs to Host Games 1 and 2 of First-Round Stanley Cup Playoffs Series with Lightning on Tuesday and Thursday [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/maple-leafs-to-host-games-1-and-2-of-first-round-stanley-cup-playoffs-series-with-lightning-on-tuesday-and-thursday] Maple Leafs Mark Giordano Dealing with ‘Minor’ Injury, Team Expects He'll be ‘100 Percent Soon' [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/maple-leafs-mark-giordano-dealing-with-minor-injury-team-expects-hell-be-100-percent-soon]
