Pacioretty missed the last three games after taking a puck to the head in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

According to David Alter of The Hockey News.com, Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Max Pacioretty (upper body) is expected to return to the starting lineup on Wednesday when the Leafs face the Minnesota Wild.

Pacioretty (upper body) is slated to return to the lineup versus Minnesota on Wednesday, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz took a major step in his recovery as he stayed out for the entirety of Tuesday’s practice with the main group.

The Maple Leafs are down a trio of important forwards, but recent updates show they could be close to a return at a very crucial point in the season. Though

Pacioretty took a puck to the head area in front of the net during a shot attempt from teammate Auston Matthews on Jan .18 against the Montreal Canadiens. Pacioretty remained in the game but missed the next two contests against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Max Pacioretty was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 18, and missed his second game when the Maple Leafs lost 5-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. Initially, he was listed as day to day, but coach Craig Berube said Wednesday that the timeline has changed.

Pacioretty will be absent due to an upper-body injury that he sustained after taking a shot to the side of the head in Saturday's 7-3 comeback win against the Montreal Canadiens. He was however able to finish the game, logging 10:13 in ice time.

Max Pacioretty was injured in Saturday's comeback victory over the Montreal Canadiens and will now miss significant time according to Leafs head coach Craig Berube.

The left-shot winger was struck in the head by a puck Saturday against the Canadiens, but he was able to finish that contest. Pacioretty's next chance to return to the lineup will come in Ottawa on Saturday.

To fill his roster spot, the Leafs called up 22-year-old forward Jacob Quillan from the Marlies, who has 15 points in 35 games. Pacioretty missed Monday’s game against Tampa Bay and was not going to play against the Blue Jackets, head coach Craig Berube had said on Monday.

Matthew Knies joins a long list of injured Leafs that has had a trickle-down effect on the rest of the lineup.