On a positive note, John Tavares practiced today in his usual spot centering the second line surrounded by his regular wingers Tyler Bertuzzi and William Nylander.
As for the players who were given the day off today by Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, Max Domi, Jake McCabe, and Timothy Liljegren are the three players taking a maintenance day today after a tough night against the Ducks.
The lineup at practice this afternoon already consisted of twelve forwards and five defenseman, which included Morgan Rielly, who is still suspended, and Marshall Rafai, who was called up today due to William Lagesson's injury last night.
As a result of the trio of maintenance days, Sheldon Keefe told the media on Sunday that he's not exactly sure what his lineup will look like on Monday with several game-time decisions. Kind of hard to prepare for a game as a head coach when you don't know who will be available to you.
Knowing that Rielly, Giordano, Timmins, and Lagesson are all likely unavailable for Monday afternoon's game in St. Louis, the pressure is shifted to Liljegren and McCabe to play through any nagging injuries Monday and to Lajoie and Rafai, who were expected to be full-timers this season in the minors.
POLL | ||
FEVRIER 18 | 739 ANSWERS Keefe makes concerning announcement regarding tomorrow's lineup With the injuries piling up on Toronto's blueline, how urgent should they trade for a defenseman? | ||
They need to make a trade ASAP | 264 | 35.7 % |
Next man up mentality | 133 | 18 % |
Don't rush a trade and overpay | 342 | 46.3 % |
List of polls |