New Leaf already sidelined due to injury
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving was adamant that he wanted to make some changes on defense even after signing John Klingberg to a 1-year, $4.15M deal. However, with the first on-ice sessions of training camp beginning today, the only other blueline addition he had made between day two of free agency and now was bringing former Ducks defenseman Simon Benoit into the fold.
Benoit certainly embodied what Treliving had stated that he was looking for - a big-bodied defenseman with some bite to his game. However, Benoit is largely viewed as a 7th or 8th defenseman in Toronto.
With training camp officially under way for the Leafs, unfortunately, we will not get to see what Benoit can do on day one. Per the Leafs' official PR account, Benoit is not ready to go for the first on-ice sessions, as he has been sidelined with what the team is calling "back spasms". Nolan Dillingham has been named his replacement in Group 2.
If Dillingham's name sounds familiar, it's because he is the defenseman who stepped up and leveled Leafs prospect Roni Hirvonen during Leafs summer development camp, as Hirvonen had cut through the middle of the ice, carrying the puck with his head down. Hirvonen suffered a concussion as a result of the nasty hit.
As for Benoit, the hope is that he will see an improvement over the coming days in hopes of joining the team for on-ice sessions before the preseason begins. Benoit is a likely candidate to begin the season in the AHL anyhow, so even if he isn't healthy enough to participate in preseason action, it's not as though he'd be risking missing out on a roster spot in the NHL to open the season, as the Leafs currently have Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Jake McCabe, John Klingberg, Mark Giordano, Timothy Liljegren and Conor Timmins all ahead of him on the depth chart.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 21 | 156 ANSWERS New Leaf already sidelined due to injury Will we get to see Simon Benoit at all in the preseason? | ||
| No, let him get healthy | 68 | 43.6 % |
| Yes, he'll be fine in a few days | 56 | 35.9 % |
| He's not an NHL regular anyway | 32 | 20.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
