The Maple Leafs remained tight-lipped about the severity of O'Reilly's injury. It was not until today that Joshua Kloke of The Athletic reported that the injury was worse than originally stated. Fortunately, O'Reilly underwent successful surgery this morning, and his timeline for returning to the game is four weeks.
The timing of O'Reilly's injury could not have been worse for the Maple Leafs as they gear up for the playoffs. The expected return date for O'Reilly is the beginning of April, just a week ahead of the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs. If this were the playoffs, O'Reilly would likely not miss as much time, but given the remaining regular season, he should be able to fully recover from his injury.
The impact of O'Reilly's injury on the Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup hopes cannot be overstated. They paid a hefty price to acquire him, and if he is unable to return to the game, it would be a significant loss for the team. The fate of the team's playoff run remains to be seen, but they will undoubtedly be hoping for a speedy recovery for O'Reilly, lest their investment go to waste.