Marner out 3-4 weeks, Spezza six games
The Maple Leafs will be without Mitch Marner, sidelined by a shoulder injury, for three to four weeks, while defencemen Rasmus Sandin (knee) is out two to three weeks and Travis Dermott (shoulder) is at least day to day as the injuries pile up.
Toronto also will be minus forward Jason Spezza for six games after he was suspended for what the league termed a “retribution” hit on Winnipeg defenceman Neal Pionk on Sunday. Spezza kneed Pionk, who was concussed on the play, following Pionk’s knee-onknee that sidelined Sandin. Pionk was suspended two games.
In the ruling from the NHL’s department of player safety, the league agreed Pionk was eligible to be checked on the play, even if he was low to the ice as he cleared a puck with his hands. But the league said the onus was on Spezza to ensure the hit was delivered legally.
Spezza argued he would have been able to deliver the check legally had Pionk not fallen further to the ice, changing the position of his head after Spezza had committed to the hit.
“Ultimately, while we believe Spezza’s long history of clean play supports his contention he did not intentionally drive his knee into the head of Pionk, this is a play in which he was attempting to enact forceful retribution on a player who is in a vulnerable position,” the league said. “The onus is on Spezza to ensure the hit is delivered legally. Instead, he drives his knee into the head of an opponent and causes an injury.”
The injuries, the suspension, and the continued recoveries of goalie Petr Mrázek and Ilya Mikheyev had the Leafs roster in flux. They called up forward Alex Steeves and defenceman Kristians Rubins for Tuesday night’s game against Columbus.
“Things happen in this game, some are unfortunate,” coach Sheldon Keefe said. “You adapt, you adjust. That’s it. That’s what we’ve been doing.
“(Mitch) is a big loss for us. He’s a major contributor five-on-five, penalty kill, power play. Other guys need to step up and fill that gap.”
Marner is out with a shoulder injury, suffered in practice Friday in an unfortunate run-in with defenceman Jake Muzzin. The injury at first wasn’t deemed to be that bad; Marner accompanied the team on its two-game road trip, but was scratched for both.
“He had the bump in practice,” said Keefe, adding Marner had an MRI on Monday. “After giving it some time and seeing where it was at, it was a little worse than they thought it was going to be.
“I think he’ll be back on the ice sooner than later. But for when he’s going to get back to play, we’re going to be cautious, of course, and make sure that he’s ready.”