TORONTO – In this city, the injuries are piling up as fast as the victories.
Three Toronto Maple Leafs integral to the club’s league-leading 14th win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday will not be available for Monday’s tilt versus the visiting Calgary Flames due to harm suffered in that game.
Top-line winger Joe Thornton and ferocious forechecker Zach Hyman are both listed as day-to-day as they deal with undisclosed injuries suffered or aggravated Saturday, while top shutdown man Jake Muzzin is out indefinitely with a broken bone in his face.
Toss in the sidelined Wayne Simmonds (wrist) and Jack Campbell (leg), and the Leafs’ 44 man-games lost this season due to injuries continues to rise.
“Every night is a challenge,” captain John Tavares said. “Whatever lineup we have, we have great depth.”
That depth will be put to the test Monday against a Flames team with plenty to prove after dropping three straight, including a 7-1 embarrassment in Saturday’s loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
Muzzin and partner Justin Holl have been Toronto’s most consistent defensive pairing this season. Muzzin suffered his face injury late in the third period on this play while defending Tyler Toffoli, who later scored on the same shift:
“He’s got to give it some time to settle,” said Keefe, not ready to provide a timeline for Muzzin’s return. “When he comes back, it’ll have to be with a full shield.”
Travis Dermott will receive a promotion to Holl’s left, as he did in 2019-20 when Muzzin was sidelined with a broken foot.
A golden opportunity to prove his worth in a tenuous contract campaign.
“It’s something that I know (Dermott) has been waiting for, and something we’ve been wanting to prepare him for,” Keefe said. “That’s a great thing for us to watch today, and he’s excited for that opportunity. He’s been very patient and has really worked hard from Day 1 of camp. And he’s got a chance here tonight to take a big step.”
This will be Dermott’s first time seeing top-four minutes all season. He’s been sheltered and, occasionally, scratched during Toronto’s 14-3-2 tear to the top.
“We’ve taken a little bit of a step back with him, but it was all towards knowing that we weren’t going to stay healthy all season long, knowing that his opportunity would be there. We want him to be better prepared for it,” Keefe explained.
“We weren’t happy with how it went last time out (when Muzzin was injured in 2020’s Columbus Blue Jackets) series. And it was more of a reminder for me that we’ve got to rethink how we’ve been developing Derms towards such an opportunity.”
Hyman missed Thursday’s win over the Ottawa Senators after blocking a hard shot with his foot Wednesday. Then promptly got into a lane and absorbed another blasted puck Saturday:
Playing alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Thornton enjoyed a four-game, seven-point streak last week upon returning to action from his cracked rib. But the oldest forward in the league absorbed some heavy blows from the Canadiens, who threw a whopping 44 hits in Saturday’s physical affair.
Alexander Barabanov and Nic Petan draw into the Leafs lineup to plug the holes up front.
Keefe did not announce who would fill Thornton’s spot on the hottest line in hockey, but one candidate would have to be William Nylander, whom the coach threw in that role for a spell Thursday.
Nylander was benched for the latter half of Saturday’s win, and Keefe has since spoken with his star winger.
“The effort I expect is his best effort. I’m not necessarily questioning his effort the other night. That wasn’t it for me. It was just adapting to the game,” said Keefe, who has stressed the importance of puck management while protecting a lead.
“I thought we adjusted very well and managed the puck well managed the game extremely well (in Period 3), and we expect that from everybody. And I think Will is no different. We expect a lot from him, and that’s a big part of it. As for our conversations, we’ve talked a lot throughout the season, and he knows exactly what my expectations are of him.”
Vowing to shoot more, Nylander was out early for Monday’s pregame skate working on his one-timers with assistant Manny Malhotra.
Said Tavares: “William is extremely competitive and wants to make a difference.”
