If Ilya Lyubushkin and Justin Holl miss time with injuries, who should the Leafs call up?
In last night's game against the Boston Bruins, both Justin Holl and Ilya Lyubushkin left the game due to injury and, although it was for "precautionary reasons", neither player returned to the game.
Both Leafs blueliners took tough blows to the head. Holl's being from a puck and Lyubushkin's from a dirty sucker punch Bruins forward Taylor Hall. With Rasmus Sandin and Jake Muzzin already out with injuries, the Leafs' blueline is looking thin and if none of the abovementioned players are good to go tomorrow night against Winnipeg, the Leafs will have to call someone up from the AHL, even with Carl Dahlstrom currently on the Leafs roster. But who will that be?
The top choice for the Leafs would be the defender who has arguably been the Marlies best player this season. Joseph Duszak is tearing up the AHL this year with 46 points in 48 games as a defenceman. Duszak's been in the Leafs' organization since 2018 and he's always had good offensive numbers but this season he's broken out.
One thing that definitely holds him back is that he is a purely offensive defenseman. With Holl and Lyubushkin both being defensive defenders, perhaps the Leafs are less willing to give a shot to a player like a Duszak and would instead prefer to have a more stable presence on the backend.
Duszak reportedly requested a trade earlier this season because of the lack of NHL opportunity on the Leafs blue line. Now, with multiple injuries to the Leafs d-core, Duszak could finally get the NHL opportunity that he was willing to look for elsewhere.
If the Leafs want a player who they believe can have a better defensive impact, perhaps Latvian defender Kristians Rubins could get the call to the show. Rubins played in 3 games for the Leafs earlier this season and impressed in two of them. Unfortunately for him, after a rough outing against the Chicago Blackhawks, Rubins was sent back down to the Marlies and has been there since. Standing at 6'5, the big bodied defensive defenceman would definitely help with the loss of Lyubushkin and Holl's physical presence on the backend.
Two other names to look at are Mac Hollowell and Filip Kral. Both players are 2018 draft picks and have impressed with the Marlies this season. Hollowell is clearly a player that the Leafs like. He's been with the team a few times despite not playing in any games and he was given a 1 year contract extension earlier this season.
Meanwhile, Kral earned his entry-level contract after putting up really good numbers in the WHL and following it up with a great season in the Czech Extraliga. Kral has climbed the Leafs' depth chart over the past year and perhaps he'll finally get an NHL opportunity because of the recent injuries.
Lyubushkin and Holl's status' for tomorrow are still unknown but with just 5 healthy defenders on the Leafs roster they could be forced to make an emergency recall ahead of tomorrow's game. Luckily for the Leafs, if that is the case - they have plenty of options to chose from, and with the game being in Toronto, the one they call up will be coming from just up the road.
| POLL | ||
MARS 30 | 247 ANSWERS If Ilya Lyubushkin and Justin Holl miss time with injuries, who should the Leafs call up? Who are the Leafs most likely to call up if they need a blueliner? | ||
| Duszak | 66 | 26.7 % |
| Kral | 23 | 9.3 % |
| Rubins | 94 | 38.1 % |
| Hollowell | 64 | 25.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
