Leafs get some positive news regarding a pair of injured blueliners
Last week, Sheldon Keefe said that Morgan Rielly's return to the ice was not necessarily imminent and that he's still a long way from returning. Today, Rielly returned to the ice at Scotiabank Arena as he skated for the first time since suffering a knee sprain after colliding with New Jersey Devils forward Kyle Palmieri on November 21st. The initial timeline for Rielly's return was 4-6 weeks which means he is on track to make his return to the lineup at some point in early January.
While the Leafs' blueline has been playing very well without him, he will be a welcomed back to the fold with open arms and will ease the workload off of the veteran Mark Giordano who has been filling his spot with 20+ minute games, something that probably isn't good in the long run for the 39-year-old.
As good as the news is for Rielly, there was also a positive update on depth defenseman Carl Dahlstrom. Dalhstrom has been out the since September, after suffering a shoulder injury during a pre-season game. The recovery for Dalhstrom is a little longer than Rielly's as he was initially scheduled to return in 4-6 months. While Dahlstrom skated on Tuesday, his recovery timeline is probably closer to April, given the nature of his injury.
The Leafs are slowly getting healthy and at some point in the new year, Sheldon Keefe will finally be able to roll out an entire lineup, minus perhaps only Jake Muzzin.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 20 | 149 ANSWERS Leafs get some positive news regarding a pair of injured blueliners Will Rielly break 50 points this season? | ||
| Yes | 48 | 32.2 % |
| No | 101 | 67.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
