Sheldon Keefe admits that one of his injured players is behind schedule in his recovery
Ahead of their matchup Saturday against the Montreal Canadians, the Leafs held an optional skate today. When practice had concluded, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe provided an update on the injured defenseman T.J. Brodie, whose estimated timeline to return was today.
Keefe noted just over a week ago that Brodie was progressing well and that the injury would likely set him back two weeks total time. Today marks the two-week timeline initially sought for his return, with Keefe admitting that his return is taking longer than anticipated, which isn't great news. It wasn't all bad news though, as Keefe confirmed that Brodie wouldn't be out of action "too much longer".
Luckily, there is still plenty of hockey left to be played within the next ten days, where the Leafs play a game every other day up until February 1st (when the All-Star break begins). This opens the door for Brodie to return within that span at some point over the Leafs' 5-game homestand.
Since his last appearance on the 7th against the Red Wings, the Leafs have a 4-2 record as they currently ride a two-game win streak heading into a tilt against Montreal tonight.
Brodie has been a key contributor for the Leafs when he has been healthy enough to play this season. Unfortunately, this is his second stint on IR. Brodie has two goals and six assists, tallying for eight points in twenty-eight games this season with an average of 21:09 of total ice time this year.
With the All-Star break in sight, this will allow some additional time for Brodie to recuperate to full health heading into the second half of the season. For the Leafs, this provides a much-needed break and an opportunity to get their ducks in a row before refocusing on the difficult remaining schedule from February 10th onward. While their quality of competition is in the bottom 1/3 of the league from here on out, they do have a loaded schedule that will see them play 8 games in just 13 days to end the season - which is a lot of hockey in a short period of time.
