Maple Leafs' Jake Gardiner: Away from team for personal reasons

Gardiner is not with the team ahead of Tuesday's preseason game against the Senators due to the expected birth of his first child in the near future, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic reports.

The Leafs have a back-to-back set against the Senators on tap Tuesday and Wednesday, but it appears the blueliner could be in line to miss at least one, if not the pair, as he joins his expecting wife. He will likely rejoin the lineup as soon as he returns to the team, though no date has been set for that at this point.