Nylander is set to miss his sixth consecutive game on Thursday against the Flyers.
William Nylander, who's dealing with a lower-body injury, could return to the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup as soon as Saturday when they host the Vancouver Canucks inside Scotiabank Arena.
Nylander has been out of Toronto's lineup with the ailment since Dec. 27 against the Ottawa Senators. It's unknown how the 29-year-old picked up the injury, but he left midway through the second period and didn't return.
He's set to miss his sixth consecutive game on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently listed as day-to-day.
"Willy's doing good," head coach Craig Berube said after Toronto's morning skate on Thursday in Philadelphia. "Possible for Saturday."
Nylander has skated all by himself, most recently (as of what we know) on Saturday morning, before the Maple Leafs' morning skate. He also skated on his own before Toronto's practice on Friday, the day he was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 27.
The Maple Leafs confirmed that day that there was no setback in Nylander's injury and that it was simply a roster management move to recall Marshall Rifai from the Toronto Marlies.
Toronto hasn't lost in regulation since Nylander exited the lineup. They've gone 3-0-2 in their last five games, with wins against the New Jersey Devils, Winnipeg Jets, and most recently, the Florida Panthers. The Maple Leafs have outscored their opposition 20-13 in that span.
Despite being out for the last five games, Nylander still leads the Maple Leafs in scoring this season. The forward has 14 goals and 41 points through 33 games, three ahead of John Tavares who has 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) in 42 games.
Berube bumped Matthew Knies up to Nylander's spot on the second line after the forward went down with the injury. Knies has been in Toronto's top six ever since, tallying three goals and two assists in the last five games.
This the longest stretch of games that Nylander has ever missed due to injury.