The Leafs are playing with fire if they don't trade for another top-4 defenseman
The Leafs are currently in a bit of a precarious position when it comes to the health of their blueline. Much like what we saw early on last season, the Leafs are having their defensive depth tested early on. The problem is, last year, we had 9-10 NHL caliber defensemen. This year, not so much.
Prior to the beginning of the season, the Leafs lost Conor Timmins to an unfortunate injury during a pre-season game. Timmins' injury was significant and he was given an approximate 4-6 week timeline for recovery. At the time of his injury, Timmins was not only leading all Leafs in pre-season points - he was among the league leaders with 6 points in 3 games. He appeared to be very much a favourite to earn a roster spot with the big club. But, as we know, things can change in a flash.
The Leafs began the season with a D corps that consisted of Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Jake McCabe, John Klingberg, Mark Giordano and Timothy Liljegren. Now, injuries to McCabe and Liljegren have them sitting with just 4 NHL regulars. Not only that, but it has led to Morgan Rielly playing a lot more than anticipated early on.
Rielly has amassed 26:13 and 27:48 in ice time over the past 2 games, which is a bit too much. Some blueliners can eat those kinds of minutes on the regular, but for Morgan Rielly, who has averaged a little over 22 minutes per game over the course of his 11-year NHL career, it's too much.
What happens when you over-work a player? Well, he can become less effective in the minutes he plays, but he's also more susceptible to injury. Excluding this year, Rielly has played only 1 full 82-game season over the past 4 seasons - though it bares mentioning that he played in 55 of the 56 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
Bringing in another body, while it will almost certainly cost the Leafs someone off of the active roster, will be imperative for lightening the load on the current D corps. We know that Jake McCabe's injury is not expected to be serious, but we don't know when he'll be back - and at what percentage he'll be when he does come back. The situation is a lot less clear with Liljegren, who suffered an apparent shoulder injury on Saturday.
Rather than playing with fire here, the Leafs really should look to bring in another body on the blueline, because even if McCabe and Liljegren don't miss much time, it's become very clear that the defensive depth is lacking this season. Treliving should look to remedy that before it's too late.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 30 | 223 ANSWERS The Leafs are playing with fire if they don't trade for another top-4 defenseman Do you think the Leafs need to acquire another defenseman? | ||
| Yes, they're drowning right now | 168 | 75.3 % |
| No, they'll be fine when everyone's healthy | 17 | 7.6 % |
| Too soon to say | 38 | 17 % |
| List of polls | ||
