'Maybe A Little Bit Longer': Maple Leafs' Mark Giordano Sidelined Day-to-Day Due to Lower-Body Injury
KANATA, Ont. — The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without veteran defenseman Mark Giordano when the team takes on the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre and he could miss time beyond that.
"Gio's got a lower-body injury and will be day-to-day, maybe a little bit longer than day-to-day," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said following the team's morning skate.
Keefe noted that they don't expect Giordano's injury to be "too serious" and confirmed the injury occurred during the team's 5-4 win against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. Giordano, the NHL's oldest player, logged 14:33 of ice time. He was on the ice for three of the four goals allowed by Toronto—the fourth game on a penalty shot.
With Giordano out, the next player that typically would enter the lineup would be Conor Timmins, but the defenseman is ill, prompting the Leafs to call up defenseman Max Lajoie for precautionary reasons.
William Lagesson will play in his first game since Dec. 27 and skated on a defensive pair alongside Timothy Liljegren during the team's morning skate.
Lagesson has three assists in 21 games with the Leafs this season.
Now 40 years old, Giordano has had a turbulent year. On November 28, he suffered a broken thumb after blocking a shot against the Florida Panthers. He returned a month later but saw himself become a healthy scratch for a handful of games.
With Giordano out and Timmins ill, the Maple Leafs had to do some roster maneuvering to stay salary cap and roster-compliant. They moved David Kampf (undisclosed) to injured reserve list while moving Joseph Woll's cap hit to long-term injured reserve. That allowed them to call up Lajoie, who will serve as the extra body on the trip.
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