The Toronto Maple Leafs are glad to have avoided another potential disruptive injury to their blueline, but despite the positive news, it may still be in their best interest to explore the trade market for upgrades to their defense core.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been able to bounce back from a troubling start, which had them at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in late November, going 5-1-2 in their last eight games to bring them within range of the top three in the Atlantic Division and the two wild card spots.
But what appeared to be a serious injury to veteran blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the 3-2 overtime loss to San Jose on Thursday further illustrated what has become the Leafs' greatest flaw in their roster.
Ekman-Larsson suffered a lower-body injury in the second period of Thursday’s loss and had to be helped off the ice. The Leafs have miraculously appeared to have dodged a bullet, as the 34-year-old was on the ice for the Leafs' morning skate on Saturday, and head coach Craig Berube indicated that he will be in the lineup against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Toronto has been hampered by injuries throughout the season, with team captain Auston Matthews, winger Matthew Knies, and goalies Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll all missing significant time, but where the club has been most debilitated is on the blueline, where righties Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo have been out long-term and depth defender Dakota Mermis is out indefinitely after taking a knee-to-knee hit from Tampa Bay's Gage Goncalves on Monday.
Tanev collided with Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov on Nov. 1, just 10 days after being injured on a similar play with New Jersey’s Dawson Mercer. The veteran has been skating for most of the last month, but continues to wear a non-contact jersey at practice.
Berube indicated earlier this week that the club’s medical staff would find out whether the 35-year-old could begin ramping up towards a return to the lineup. But that determination has been pushed off until next week, as Tanev and the club are seeking a second opinion.
Carlo has been out since Nov. 13, and after indications that he was improving, the former Bruin suffered a setback during their recent six-game road swing. Berube revealed he underwent foot surgery on Dec. 3rd, which will keep him out for a month.
The Ekman-Larsson scare, the Carlo injury, and the uncertainty of Tanev’s status has to have augmented Leafs GM Brad Treliving’s strategy entering trade season. The assumption has been since the summer that Toronto’s main target would be a top-six forward to help replace the offensive production lost by the departure of Mitch Marner. With a blueline of Ekman-Larsson, Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, Simon Benoit, Philippe Myers, Troy Stecher, and Henry Thrun, Toronto is extraordinarily thin on defense.
Treliving was extremely fortunate to have claimed Stecher off waivers from Edmonton, and that the veteran journeyman has found a rapport with McCabe. But if Tanev requires surgery and is out for most of the regular season, the Leafs will likely have to explore the trade route to find a stop-gap solution.
Leafs To Wait On Second Opinion For Chris Tanev As Immediate Playing Future Remains Unclear
With Chris Tanev’s return timeline indefinite pending a second opinion, the Maple Leafs face a deepening injury crisis on the blue line.
Calling up William Villeneuve or Cade Webber from the AHL Marlies would appear to be desperation moves, as would recalling 2024 first-rounder Ben Danford from junior.
The Leafs cleared $2.4 million in cap space with the contract termination of center David Kampf last month, and could make room for someone like Matt Dumba, who was placed on waivers by Pittsburgh on Friday. If another waiver claim is not their chosen avenue, the Leafs may need to swap one of their extra forwards for a defenseman to survive until their injured veterans can all return.
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