Illness Outbreak in Maple Leafs Locker Room Sparks Growing Concerns
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-USA Today Sports
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a fantastic start to the 2024-25 season, but a locker room illness may now cause them some major concerns.
Even though former captain John Tavares has been sidelined due to illness, the Toronto Maple Leafs' season was going great after two consecutive wins. Unfortunately, it seems that teammate William Nylander may now miss the team's next game due to the same illness that forced him off the ice.
Craig Berube, the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, confirmed that star forward William Nylander was absent from practice today due to a suspected flu-like illness. Many players are feeling ill, as Masters notes, and the sickness is spreading throughout the team's locker room.
«We've had more guys [sick] too, but they were able to keep going,» Berube added. «We've got to watch for it. But it was great to see [Tavares] out there today and he got through practice. It looked like he was low-energy, but he's a good pro, got out, had a sweat and I'm sure he'll feel better later.»
Tavares is gradually getting better from his illness, according to coach Craig Berube. Although he isn't fully recovered, there is hope that the seasoned forward will soon be able to rejoin the team. Although players missing games is never a good thing, it has given other players opportunities up the lineup that we wouldn't normally see, with Pontus Holmberg recently playing a great game in place of Tavares. The NHL season is long, so a game this early probably won't affect their chances overall.
The team may need to make some significant lineup adjustments to get through the games in order to maintain their strong start to the new season, but ultimately, it will only be a matter of time until the illness passes through the locker room.
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