It was a short and sweet 15-minute practice for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday morning, as they return from a Western Conference trip that saw them play all three California teams in four days. With two wins and a gruelling OT loss in the Golden State, the Leafs now return home to face division rivals Florida Panthers Wednesday night.
Returning to practice with the team Tuesday were Max Pacioretty and Jani Hakanpää. Pacioretty hasn’t played since the 4 Nations break when he tweaked something skating, though his injury hasn’t been disclosed. Hakanpää has been out since November due to a knee injury and has only played two games in his debut season with Toronto. The Finnish defender was selected for the 4 Nations tournament, but was unable to participate.
Max Pacioretty & Jani Hakanpaa taking part in Leafs practice today pic.twitter.com/ir5Hw1vfkN
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 1, 2025
While both players are still on Toronto’s injured reserve, the hope is that they may make their return for the Stanley Cup playoffs, set to begin in just a few weeks. Their veteran presence is just one more piece the Leafs and Craig Berube will rely on for a deep postseason run.
With just eight games left in the regular season, Berube is continuing to test different lineups to find that winning formula, and tomorrow night it looks like Nick Robertson will be the one sitting, skating as the extra in practice Tuesday. The 23-year-old forward has only one goal in his last 12 games played, and has struggled to consistently produce this whole season.
Between the pipes, Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll both practiced, with Stolarz exiting early while Woll stayed out late. It appears that Stolarz will face his former Panthers team Wednesday night, as the Leafs continue to alternate their starters. It’ll be a key test for the 31-year-old goaltender, playing against the one of the Atlantic divisions’ best as he fights for the spot as Toronto’s starter for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Stolarz currently has wins in three consecutive games, with a 2.00 GAA across those contests.
Anthony Stolarz off early at end of Leafs practice
Joseph Woll staying out late for extra work
Looks like Stolarz will face his old team tomorrow @TSN_Sports
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 1, 2025
Here’s how the Leafs lined up for practice Tuesday morning, per The Hockey News’ Nick Barden:
Forwards:
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner
Bobby McMann – John Tavares – William Nylander
Scott Laughton – Max Domi – Calle Järnkrok
Pontus Holmberg – David Kämpf – Steven Lorentz
Nick Robertson, Max Pacioretty
Defencemen:
Morgan Rielly – Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe – Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Jani Hakanpää – Philippe Myers
Goalies:
Anthony Stolarz
Joseph Woll