Is Mitch Marner playing tonight? Leafs announce forward's game status versus Flames

Toronto Maple Leafs leading scorer Mitch Marner will not be available for Tuesday night’s tilt versus the Calgary Flames, the team confirmed.

Marner sustained an injury during the final minutes of Saturday night’s contest against the Edmonton Oilers. As TSN’s Mark Masters reported, Marner’s status was a mystery leading up to game time against the Flames.

Masters quoted Leafs’ coach Craig Berube on Tuesday:

“Something happened in the game, I guess. Just no feeling right in certain areas, so we’re trying to work on it. Trying to get him ready.”

It seems that Marner is not ready and will subsequently miss the game against Calgary. Not much is known about the precise nature of the injury. At the moment, reports indicate Marner could be dealing with a lower-body injury.

John Tavares provided some more insight into the situation, stating per TSN:

“We're, what, early February and you get to this point of the year, 50-plus games, there's a lot going on in terms of the grind and what you go through and the aches and the pains and all that."

By those comments, it could be that Marner simply needs some time to rest and recover based on the ailments affecting him. More information will likely come in the following days.

Injury could affect Mitch Marner’s participation in 4 Nations Face-Off

Mitch Marner was named to Team Canada’s roster at the 4 Nations Face-Off coming up in roughly eight days. As such, Marner’s injury could be significant enough to where he might be unable to play for Canada.

If that’s the case, Team Canada will need to find a replacement for Marner sooner rather than later. It’s worth pointing out that the 4 Nations Face-Off would be Marner’s first opportunity to represent his country at a major international hockey event.

However, Marner has represented Canada at various international tourneys. Firstly, Marner played for Canada at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Mitch Marner was part of the gold-medal-winning team.

In 2016, Marner played at the World Junior Championships in Finland. Canada did not medal in that tournament as they were eliminated by the host nation in the quarterfinals.

Also, Marner played for Canada at the 2017 World Championships as part of the silver-winning squad. Marner had 12 points in 10 games, trailing only Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.

As such, Marner’s participation in the 4 Nations Face-Off would be his first opportunity to represent Canada in a best-on-best setting at the senior level. But if he is unable to play, Marner may have to wait till the 2026 Olympics to get the chance to don the red maple leaf.