"Will he be healthy enough for 4 Nations?" - NHL insider weighs in on Mitch Marner's 'strange' injury status

Mitch Marner has been dealing with an injury lately, something that puts his status for the 4 Nations Face-Off in jeopardy. The event replaces the All-Star Game, and it's coming up soon. Any injury to any player for any of the four nations could be catastrophic.

Hockey insider David Alter believes it's hard to predict whether or not Marner is going to be healthy enough to play during the upcoming break. He said on First Up (10:45 onwards) that the Toronto Maple Leafs have been so vague that it's hard to make a prediction.

The NHL insider went on:

"Just walking around like you wouldn't have known anything was different. So that was a good sign. But I guess now that the Leafs are going to have the day off today, they're going to give Marner perhaps a go and see how he feels."

Alter added that head coach Craig Berube was "pretty optimistic" that it would be a short absence from the lineup. Alter said that he himself saw Marner walking fine, which inspires confidence.

He has just one lingering question about Marner's status, though:

"Seemed to be in good spirits. And really, I think the question really will he be healthy enough for 4 Nations? It sounds like he might be, but the lack of details and how big they were about it initially was certainly strange for sure."

The 4 Nations Face-Off is set to begin on Feb. 12.

---

Maple Leafs coach provides mysterious update on Mitch Marner

When asked after the game against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday when Mitch Marner got hurt, head coach Craig Berube didn't have a whole lot to say about what happened to the Toronto Maple Leafs star.

Mitch Marner is dealing with an injury right now (Imagn)

He said, via The Hockey News:

"I don't know. Something happened in the game, I guess. Just not feeling right in certain areas, so we're trying to work on it. Trying to get him ready."

John Tavares, who has spent some time on the bench with injuries, said:

"To get to this point of the year, 50-plus games, there’s a lot going on obviously, in terms of just the grind and what you go through, and the aches and pains and all that. (Marner) played great the other night."

Marner is considered day-to-day ahead of the upcoming All-Star break.