The Maple Leafs could have a rather large hole to fill in Calgary on Tuesday night.
Don’t get the wrong idea, though: If Mitch Marner can’t play against the Flames as he nurses an undisclosed injury, there’s no one who will ably replace the dynamic, do-it-all winger in the lineup.
Whether Marner suits up at the Scotiabank Saddledome will be a game-time decision. Ditto for defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Marner was not on the ice for the morning skate, but Ekman-Larsson, who departed the game in Edmonton on Saturday with a lower-body injury, took part.
Neither veteran practised on Monday after the Leafs had a day off on Sunday.
“Something happened in the game, I guess,” Leafs coach Craig Berube told media in Calgary on Tuesday, referring to Marner. “Just not feeling right in certain areas, so we’re trying to work on it, trying to get him ready.
“It’s like anybody who goes out. It’s hard to fill the voids. Different opportunity for some guys, people stepping up and doing the job. We’ve done it all year and if he can’t go, we have to continue to do it.”
Marner is on a different level, though. One of four Leafs to play in all 52 games to date, he’s fourth in NHL scoring with 70 points.
Marner is one of two forwards to lead his team in ice time — Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils is the other — and he is the Leafs’ top penalty-killing forward.
If Marner is out, Max Domi gets the assignment on the right side on the top line with captain Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.
“Max, going back to last year, played a handful of games or more with Auston and they had some pretty good chemistry going,” Berube said. “He’s a passer. We need a passer on that line with Matthews and Knies. He is a guy who can make plays. It’s all about Max, it’s all about his skating. He needs to move, he needs to attack and have that mindset.”
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Domi has 19 points in 44 games.
“We’re pretty familiar with each other,” Domi said of his past work with Matthews. “Haven’t played with each other this year, but it’s a great opportunity and (I’ll) be ready to go.”
If Ekman-Larsson can’t play, Philippe Myers will dress on the blue-line.
Joseph Woll will start in goal for the Leafs, although there was some thought that Anthony Stolarz might play for the first time since Dec. 12. Stolarz needs a bit more seasoning before returning from a knee procedure, Berube said.
“Stolarz is an option (for Seattle on Thursday),” Berube said. “I think it’s more about getting work in practice a little bit more. Shooting, traffic, all that kind of stuff, the timing side of it. He is not quite there yet.”
As of Tuesday, the Leafs are scheduled to practise in Seattle on Wednesday afternoon.