Black-and-blue line is tested
Toronto is using everybody, as injuries and illnesses keep piling up down the stretch
Mark Giordano, the oldest player in the NHL, was pressed into service. Conor Timmins ran the first power play.
No, this is not Maple Leafs training camp. This is the state of Toronto‘s injury-riddled blue line with just 10 games left before the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“We’ve got nine defencemen and we’ve officially used all nine now in this last little bit,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said after the Leafs’ 5-1 win over Washington on Thursday.
Defenceman Timothy Liljegren was scratched for that game due to an upper-body injury, and the prognosis did not sound good.
“He’s going to miss some time,” Keefe said.
It seems to be a familiar refrain. Joel Edmundson was out a second straight game due to illness Thursday. Morgan Rielly missed his third straight game with an undisclosed injury that is not believed to be serious.
“We’re hopeful (Rielly is) going to bounce back,” Keefe said. “It’s not going to be a lingering situation, it’s not an injury that’s going to be ongoing … we just need to give him some time.”
Giordano was pressed into service when Liljegren was unable to go and scored in his first game back from a concussion that cost him 12 games. He probably could have come back sooner but the vagaries of finding himself on long-term injured reserve and the Leafs having little salary cap space probably kept him sidelined longer than he needed to be. He had been practising.
“Things happen, right?” Giordano said. “I was preparing either way because we had some guys banged up. And I felt pretty good getting in and getting some reps.”
Timmins, who has been sidelined by injuries and mononucleosis, played just his 20th game of the season, and his fourth in the Leafs’ last five outings. With no Liljegren or Rielly, he was next in line to take over the power play. He has a reputation for struggling in his own zone but he exudes confidence with the puck.
“We’re really happy with (Timmins),” Keefe said. “It’s been good that he’s had this run. He’s been through a lot. But we’ve needed him of late and he’s done a good job. He’s competing. He’s giving us everything he has to still be true to who he is in terms of moving the puck and making plays and getting the puck to the net.
“We need him to compete and show that he can defend and be consistent that way, too. He’s working hard through that.”
This run could set Timmins up well for the future. He may not get a lot of playoff time if everyone is healthy but he is under contract at a relatively cheap $1.1 million (U.S.) next season. He joins Rielly, Jake McCabe and Simon Benoit, who signed a three-year extension Friday, as Leafs defencemen with deals for next year.
“It’s a good development for (Timmins), and for us,” Keefe said. “These are the kind of things that happen when you get injuries. You get opportunities for others. This is Conor’s time to continue to stay with that.”
Injuries and illness haven’t only besieged defencemen. Auston Matthews nearly missed Thursday’s game because of an undisclosed illness. Mitch Marner, who has missed nine games, remains sidelined with a high-ankle sprain, though he’s now listed as day to day. Winger Calle Järnkrok has missed seven games with a hand injury and might not be available until the playoffs, in part because the Leafs don’t have enough cap space to activate him off long-term injured reserve.
“It seems like we’re losing one and two guys every game now to an injury,” Keefe said. “That’s something, at this time of the year, we don’t want to have. So if we have to prioritize rest to try to keep guys fresh and healthy, then we’re going to have to make those adjustments.”