Max Pacioretty injury update: HC Craig Berube provides latest on veteran Maple Leafs forward

Max Pacioretty was placed on Injured Reserve retroactive to Jan. 18. That means he cannot return until at least after Saturday's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators.

However, head coach Craig Berube has put a more realistic timeline on the injury, and he doesn't believe Pacioretty will be back that quickly. The injury was sustained a few days ago, but Berube said Wednesday that the forward is a "little more than day to day" at this point.

Jacob Quillan was recalled from the AHL to take Pacioretty's spot on the NHL roster, and he's likely to be up for at least a few more games as the veteran forward continues to recover from his upper-body injury.

Pacioretty took a slap shot to the side of his head from Auston Matthews during a 7-3 road victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Pacioretty didn't have to leave the game, though, and even played over 10 more minutes but has not played since then.

IR stints must last one week from the injury, which means the earliest possible return date for Pacioretty is Saturday, but that's not looking too likely to Berube.

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AHL coach speaks on Max Pacioretty's roster replacement

Now that Max Pacioretty is on IR and cannot play for a few more games, a roster spot was made available. The Toronto Maple Leafs quickly assigned that to AHL star Jacob Quillan, who's been with the Toronto Marlies.

Max Pacioretty has gone on IR (Imagn)

Quillan may not see a ton of ice time since the Maple Leafs have a very deep roster, but his AHL coach John Gruden believes he has the talent. He said, via The Hockey News:

"I really believe that he continues to grow. Like, he's understanding the game's not played all at one speed. He has great speed. To understand how to change gears, and when to attack, he's done a really good job."

Quillan has mostly played center on the Marlies' third line, and he has six goals and nine assists in 35 games this year. He has five points from three goals and two assists in the last five games, though.