Maple Leafs place forward Kyle Clifford on injured reserve

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that forward Kyle Clifford has been placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury.

The 31-year-old will be unable to play until Toronto’s return to Scotiabank Arena on Nov. 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Clifford’s full recovery timeline is unclear at the moment.

Clifford played in both of Toronto’s games on the current western swing, registering an assist in a 4-1 win over Winnipeg. Clifford also played two games with the Toronto Marlies, earning four penalty minutes along the way. Clifford signed a two-year extension with the Leafs over the summer, acting as a physical presence that can bounce between the NHL and AHL.

Clifford was originally traded to Toronto in the Jack Campbell deal in 2020. He played 16 regular season games with the club before joining St. Louis for 20202-21. He had a two-game stint with the Blues last season before ending back up in Toronto, where he had three points and 31 penalty minutes in 23 games. Clifford won two Stanley Cups with Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014 while acting as a glue depth guy.

The Leafs have an influx of depth players to choose from, including Wayne Simmonds, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Pierre Engvall, and Denis Malgin.

Toronto subsequently called up defenseman Filip Kral from the Marlies. Kral was originally recalled earlier this month after Jake Muzzin went down with an injury, but never played. Kral has skated in three games with the Marlies this season and had 21 points in 58 games in his first full season with the club last year.