Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf is out “week to week” with a suspected hand injury as the club returns from the all-star break facing an unlikely climb to a playoff spot.

Leafs coach Peter Horachek said after practice Monday that Phaneuf was hurt in their last game against Ottawa but played through it.

Phaneuf and Phil Kessel, who was returning from the all-star game in Columbus over the weekend, both missed practice at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke. The Leafs will skate again in Toronto on Tuesday before flying out for Wednesday’s game against the Devils in New Jersey.

Phaneuf’s absence coupled with the Los Angeles Kings waiving centre Mike Richards rekindled recent trade rumours involving the two high-priced veterans. The Leafs had no comment on the Richards move.

“We’re hoping to get (Phaneuf) back as soon as possible,” Horachek told reporters after the club recalled defenceman Petter Granberg, along with forward Josh Leivo, from the AHL Marlies. The six-foot-three Granberg, who shoots right and has one game of NHL experience, was drafted in the fourth round in 2010.

Phaneuf fought in each of the Leafs’ last two games. He traded blows with Hurricanes captain Eric Staal in a 4-1 loss to Carolina last Monday, just the second scrap of Staal’s career, then dropped the gloves with Ottawa’s Milan Michalek in a 4-3 loss to the Senators on Wednesday before the all-star break.

TSN’s Darren Dreger tweeted that Phaneuf aggravated a hand injury in the fight with Staal and made it worse against Michalek, but that the damage isn’t structural.

In Wednesday’s game, Phaneuf took a couple of whacks at Michalek, who was controlling the puck in the Leafs’ end. Michalek fell, Phaneuf kept whacking away and Michalek got up swinging. Phaneuf appeared to land several blows to Michalek’s face with his right hand.

Horachek said he spoke to Phaneuf and that the defenceman feels terrible about missing game action: “It’s hard. He’s a competitor and he wants to play.”

Phaneuf — who hasn’t missed a game to injury since November, 2010 — will continue off-ice workouts until the injury heals.

“He’s a tough guy,” the coach said of Phaneuf, who leads the team with five major penalties, “and he’s going to play through those things as best he can. Being as tough as he is, he finished the game.

“You’re not really able to replace him. . . . Everyone has to pull up the slack.”

Phaneuf has two goals, 20 assists and a minus-4 rating in 48 games this season.

The struggling Leafs head to New Jersey having lost six in a row and 14 of their last 17. With only 34 games remaining, Toronto is 10 points out of a playoff spot.

The good news is that forwards Peter Holland and Joffrey Lupul returned from injuries and participated in full workouts. They haven’t played since New Year’s Eve, when both were hurt against the Boston Bruins. Horachek said they might play in Wednesday’s game.

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Winger Leo Komarov, who hasn’t played since suffering an injury Jan. 12 against Los Angeles, is also expected to face the Devils, but defenceman Stephane Robidas left practice early and likely won’t be available in New Jersey.

The Leafs return home for a Thursday game against the Arizona Coyotes before travelling to Philadelphia to face the Flyers on Saturday.

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