Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving shares key update on Auston Matthews & Chris Tanev's injuries 

The Toronto Maple Leafs general manager, Brad Treliving, shared updates on Auston Matthews and Chris Tanev on Tuesday. Both players were still listed on injured reserve earlier today. This is happening in a time when the Leafs are struggling to win games. They are on a five-game losing streak, their longest of the season.

Speaking to the media, Treliving said Matthews is making progress and skated again in the morning. However, Matthews will not play on Tuesday (against St. Louis Blues) or Thursday (against Columbus Blue Jackets) as the team monitors his recovery.

"He's coming along. He skated this morning again," Trelviing said about Auston Matthews. "We've listed him as day to day, obviously not going to play tonight. I would suspect Thursday is probably not a possibility.

"Probably after Thursday, at least we get a little bit better sense of how things are responding. I don't anticipate too, too long. But probably Tuesday and Thursday are part of the question at this point."

Auston Matthews was placed on injured reserve last Friday, retroactive to Nov. 11. Before the injury, he had four goals and two assists in his last six games. He is not at a point-per-game pace for the first time since his rookie season. But, still, his absence has affected both the offense and the team’s overall structure.

Treliving also provided an update on Tanev. He said the team does not have a clear timeline for his and other players' return. They expect more information in the next week.

"Chris Tanev, in terms of, you know, clarifying a little bit more of a clear return date," Treliving said. "We miss Chris, you know, at the end of the day, the reality is it's hard to replace top people right now. It comes back to what I said earlier: everybody goes through injuries.

"I'm not going to sit up here and make any excuses. We've got other people that need to step in and fill those roles. But the reality is, when you miss top people, those are big shoes to fill. So we miss Chris, but it's an opportunity for somebody else to dig in."

Tanev has been skating since early November after a scary injury in Philadelphia. His neck snapped back on the play, but he did not suffer another concussion. He may have dealt with whiplash and needs more time before returning. Tanev has two assists in eight games this season and has been injured twice.

Auston Matthews and other Leafs' injuries' impact on season

Both Auston Matthews and Chris Tanev's injuries add to Toronto’s difficult start, as they hold an 8-9-2 record with defensive problems and inconsistent play. They allow 3.79 goals per game and have a weak power play at 16 percent.

Defenseman Brandon Carlo and centers Scott Laughton and Nicolas Roy are also injured. Their goalie, Anthony Stolarz, is dealing with an upper-body injury after a 6-5-1 record and a .884 save percentage.

The offense has stayed strong with 3.53 goals per game, led by William Nylander and John Tavares. However, the team must improve defensively and in net to stay competitive in the Atlantic Division.