Skip to main content

Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer won't be back this weekend. And there's no indication one way or another when his return will come.



Reimer did not take part in practice Friday and Leafs coach Ron Wilson said afterwards that the training staff wanted him working out off the ice. Reimer has now missed two weeks after taking a blow to the head, an injury the organization insists is not a concussion but which is presenting some "concussion-like symptoms."



The strange situation got a little odder when Wilson would characterize the injury as only an "upper-body injury" on Friday.



"He kind of hit a plateau in his recovery so the trainers decided not to ask him to go on the ice," Wilson said. "With the other two goalies playing well, if he's not going to face a lot of shots [in practice] it's better for him to just workout off the ice.



"I'm just coaching the next game. I'm not concerned about that. I'm not a doctor or a trainer. We've got healthy guys and they're doing the job so we'll give James plenty of time to recover. There's no rush to get him back."



Wilson also wouldn't reveal who will start for the Leafs on Saturday against the Boston Bruins. The Leafs got a standout performance from third-stringer Ben Scrivens in his NHL debut in a 4-1 win in Columbus on Thursday, but Jonas Gustavsson has also been capable of late.



"I don't know," Wilson said. "We haven't decided."



Interact with The Globe