Maple Leafs catch a break ahead of Blackhawks matchup as practice updates roll in

Earlier on Monday morning, the Chicago Blackhawks recalled Ethan Del Mastro and Laurent Brossoit from Rockford, and in doing so also placed superstar forward Connor Bedard on the injured reserve.

Brossoit returns after a conditioning assignment, and Del Mastro will come in to provide some insurance on the back end.

Bedard was injured in the last second of Chicago's 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues after taking a face-off; getting shoved in the face/neck area before crumbling to the ice.

For Toronto that means they are going to have a huge weight lifted off their shoulders as they won't need to deal with Chicago's most dangerous player. They will still need to be on the lookout for names like Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi, but the loss of Bedard is an advantage nonetheless.

But they weren't exactly getting away scot-free at practice either. The Maple Leafs had Matias Maccelli out with an illness at practice, and still have no sight of Anthony Stolarz, although they did get Chris Tanev back again.

Tanev was seen in a regular jersey while he awaits a second opinion for his injury, with Craig Berube saying once they get that information, that's when they'll figure out a plan.

Tanev has been out of the lineup since Nov. 1st, and with serious concerns about what his future held; including potential surgery - his appearance on the ice is a welcome addition to a Maple Leafs team that needs some positive vibes right now.

Coming off a blowout 6-3 loss to the Oilers on Saturday night, the team is looking for answers after back-to-back losses, and can't avoid to make it three against Chicago; especially with the tight-knit Atlantic slowly starting to separate themselves.

It's great news that Toronto is potentially getting a huge piece of their lineup back in Tanev, and while the loss of Maccelli is negligible right now; it could mean there's a sweeping illness through the locker room.

But the biggest thing right now is they don't need to deal with Connor Bedard, which could have made their tough stretch look even worse with another superstar performance.