Leafs place Rielly on long-term injury list

The Maple Leafs absorbed a significant blow on Tuesday.

Defenceman Morgan Rielly has been placed on long-term injured reserve, the team announced, after he suffered a knee injury against the New York Islanders on Monday night.

In the third period, Rielly collided with Islanders forward Nick Palmieri and fell to the ice, clutching his left knee. Rielly tried to take another shift but then departed the game.

In going on LTIR, Rielly will miss at least 10 games and 24 days.

The Leafs recalled defencemen Victor Mete and Mac Hollowell from the Toronto Marlies.

Already without veterans T.J. Brodie (oblique) and Jake Muzzin (neck), the Leafs couldn’t afford to lose another defenceman, and certainly not Rielly. He annually leads the Leafs’ defence corps in ice time and is at the top of the pack again this season, playing an average of 23 minutes a game. Next among defencemen is Brodie at 21 minutes 23 seconds, and then Justin Holl at 20 minutes 45 seconds.

“It’s tough,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game on Monday, before the club knew the extent of Rielly’s injury.

“We’re already missing guys and Morgan is so important to our team and our back end in particular. But we lose Muzzin, we made a big deal of it, it was not a big deal. Brodie, we made a big deal of it, it was not a big deal. Just have to keep playing. That’s the way it goes.”

We’ll have to see. Not many teams can get by without their top three defencemen for any stretch.

“Next man up,” Mitch Marner said Monday night. “People have been stepping up in big ways in our D corps. Whatever has to happen next, whoever has to step up next, I’m sure whoever is in that spot is going to be ready for the challenge.”

GM Kyle Dubas was thought to be scouring the trade market for help on the blue line, an issue that suddenly has become more pressing. The Leafs practised Tuesday before travelling to Newark where they face the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday to begin a four-game trip.