Nick Paul played 4:42 in Toronto's 6-1 win over Ottawa on Wednesday, and Jim Hiller told everybody they'd know more today.
We'll know more tomorrow, Hiller said. I don't think it's too serious, I talked to him after.
But we'll know a little bit more tomorrow. That's the entire update, word for word.
Hiller didn't say what happened out there. Nobody should be filling that part in for him.
The ice time does some of the talking on its own. Four minutes and 42 seconds is not a forward's night.
He put one shot on goal and finished even before that number stopped climbing.
Toronto opens the season against Montreal on September 29. That's the clock sitting on this one.
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1. Nick Paul injury update expected after short night
Matthews scored and added 2 assists across 17:13. Roslovic matched him with a goal and two helpers of his own.
John Tavares did the exact same thing. A goal, a pair of assists, and 14:58 on the ice.
Morgan Rielly scored as well, days after saying his game has to hold up his end of the bargain.
Jake McCabe got one too. Four Toronto defencemen ended up on that scoresheet.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 13 of 14 and picked up his first win in blue and white.
The other half of the split squad took it 4-2 in Ottawa. Anthony Stolarz faced 21 shots and stopped 19.
Two wins on one night after opening the exhibition schedule at 0-1-1.
Gavin McKenna picked up an assist in 16:47. Easton Cowan added one in the same game.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Darren Raddysh handled the other helpers from the back end.
Hiller finally got a night where everything worked, and he spent the podium talking about a player who left it early.
That's the job in September. Twenty good answers and one you can't give yet.
So how much does a coach really know at that microphone? Waiting on an update works like waiting on a text that says we should talk. Nothing is confirmed and nobody sleeps well.
The answer arrives today. Toronto is five days from a season opener, and one forward's name is the only thing anybody wants read out.
Will Nick Paul be in the Maple Leafs lineup for opening night?
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