TORONTO — Just as the Maple Leafs were stringing together some of their better performances of the season — and getting solid, borderline inspiring, performances from Auston Matthews — a rash of injuries has hit the team.
Given how widespread the injuries are and that Toronto now has three games in five days, you could make a case that the Leafs are about to enter one of the more trying points of their regular season.
Defenceman Chris Tanev and forward Dakota Joshua will not be in the lineup against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday and Matthews will be a game-time decision. The Leafs are also still without William Nylander, who is day to day with an unknown injury.
Matthews blocked a shot during the second period of Sunday’s loss against the Detroit Red Wings. The star centre briefly left the ice before returning to play the remainder of the game against the Red Wings. Matthews did not take part in Tuesday’s morning skate.
The outlook for Tanev and Joshua is a little clearer than Matthews’ status, with both injuries sounding serious enough that their absence could keep them out for multiple games.
Tanev has only played three games after returning from a concussion that kept him out of the lineup for nearly two months. Leafs coach Craig Berube called Tanev’s injury “lower body.”
“It’s not the same injury (as previously sustained),” Berube said. “He’s getting evaluated today, so we’ll have a better timeline later today on him.”
Tanev was the Leafs’ best defender last season but has struggled with multiple injuries this season. In his absence, the Leafs’ defensive efforts have not always been consistent.
Asked if there was a level of concern over Tanev’s injury, Berube said, “There is. But I want to wait and hear first. I don’t want to jump to conclusions.”
Meanwhile, Joshua remains in Detroit, according to Berube, with a kidney injury sustained against the Red Wings.
“Whether he took a hit or went into the boards,” Berube said, “it’s got blood and everything. So we’ve got to see where he’s at.”
The forward has been one of the Leafs’ most reliable players, only missing two games this season: once with an illness and another game as a healthy scratch.
The issue for the Leafs — and for that matter, every team — is the NHL’s unrelenting schedule this year, thanks to February’s Olympic break. Only once through the entire month of January will the Leafs have more than one day off between games. That allows for limited rest and recovery time for players dealing with injuries.
How will the Leafs deal with these injuries?
In the short term, they’ve called up forward Jacob Quillan and defenceman Matt Benning from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
Quillan has been the best Marlie this season, leading the team in scoring with 23 points in 26 games while also showing his typically resolute attention to defensive detail. The 23-year-old centre has played three NHL games over two seasons, but this could be the NHL opportunity that elevates his career. He’s shown reliable pro habits with the Marlies and newfound production that should put him in contention for a bottom-six NHL role going forward.
“I love Quillan’s energy and speed. He’s a young kid but he can come in and provide what we need tonight and going forward. He’s getting close to being an NHL player and a full-time one with the ability he has,” Berube said.
Benning has 464 games of NHL experience. However, after being acquired in the trade for Timothy Liljegren last season, he has spent two seasons with the Leafs organization in the AHL. The 31-year-old defensively-minded blueliner is a depth piece at best and will be looked upon to hold down the fort in the short term. However, with William Villeneuve, 23, and Marshall Rifai, 27, available, it’s worth wondering why the Leafs aren’t trying to usher in AHL defenders who appear ready to take on NHL minutes in the long term.
Yet beyond the call-ups, the Leafs will be under pressure not to let their season slide nearly out of control as it did during a road trip earlier this month. While they remain in last place in the Atlantic Division, they are still only four points out of a playoff spot.
“The team game is what it’s all about for us. When you have injuries like this, and you don’t know if Matthews will play tonight, we need a real strong team game. That’s the bottom line. The team game can take care of these injuries and get you through,” Berube said.
The Leafs rolled out their likely lineup during Tuesday’s morning skate:
Knies-Tavares-Domi
Cowan-Roy-Robertson
Maccelli-Laughton-McMann
Lorentz-Quillan-Jarnkrok
Rielly-Myers
McCabe-Ekman-Larsson
Benoit-Stecher
Extra: Benning
Woll
Notable from the Leafs’ morning skate: Scott Laughton should see a deserved bump in ice time. Through an up-and-down month for the Leafs, Laughton was one of the Leafs most consistent players, showing the kind of energy and effort not every other Leaf provided night-to-night.
“He’s played up in the lineup over the years in different roles. I don’t think his game needs to change, but he can be used more and in different situations more,” Berube said of Laughton.
Finally, Nick Robertson had arguably his best game of the season against the Red Wings. Playing on what appears to be the team’s second line, he scored a crucial early third-period goal and hounded pucks in all areas of the ice. Yet curiously, Robertson only played three shifts after the goal and did not see the ice in overtime.