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Leafs place Marner on injured reserve; Gauthier recalled from Marlies

Leafs place Marner on IR; Gauthier recalled

TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs won't have Mitch Marner for at least one more game, but when exactly the 19-year-old rookie returns is unclear.

Marner was placed on injured reserve Tuesday morning, meaning the earliest he can come back from a suspected right shoulder injury is Thursday night against the New York Rangers. Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said Marner was day-to-day when asked about his timeline for return.

"So what does that usually mean? Ten days," Babcock said ahead of a meeting with the Winnipeg Jets, the third straight game Marner will sit out. "That's why they have these doctors and these trainers is because the coach and the player would be playing today. But they don't let us get involved in the equation and we save ourselves from ourselves.

"He's now not available today."

A 10-day timeline would mean a potential Saturday return for Marner with the Montreal Canadiens in town. Second on the Leafs with 48 points entering Tuesday's game against the Jets, Marner has missed the last two outings — one loss and one win for Toronto.

Marner fell awkwardly into the sideboards in a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets last Wednesday.

Connor Brown, his replacement alongside veterans Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk, had two goals in a Sunday night victory against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Leafs also recalled Frederik Gauthier from the AHL's Toronto Marlies. Gauthier is expected to centre the fourth line in place of veteran Ben Smith against the Jets.

Jonas Siegel, The Canadian Press