This has been a brutal year for the Toronto Maple Leafs on the injury front. It feels like every other game a player has gone down with injury and this week was no different. The Leafs announced that Anthony Stolarz would undergo surgery on his knee that would see him out of the lineup for the next four to six weeks. The team has placed him on the IR for the time being.
This just the latest in a long string of injuries this year. Here’s who else has seen time on the sidelines due to injuries:
Current Toronto Maple Leafs injured players
Aside from Stolarz, the Leafs currently have three other players injured. The first is Jani Hakanpaa who has been struggling with injuries this year. He was out at the start of the year, then came back and played two games in November before being sidelined again with a knee issue. He has undergone knee surgery this season, but is expected back “soon”.
The next is Calle Jarnkrok, who has yet to play a game this season. The longtime Nashville Predator is in his third season in Toronto, but has been sidelined with a groin and sports hernia issue that has kept him on the LTIR all year. He is currently month-to-month, and doesn’t seem to be close to returning.
Finally David Kampf is also on the LTIR after suffering a lower-body injury in mid-November. The 29-year-old Czech forward is still not close to returning to action.
Other injury trouble for the Leafs this season
Having three or four injuries in a season is par for the course in a season, but the Leafs have struggled with injuries to nearly all of their players. Let’s run down the list from the beginning of the year.
Defense prospect Ben Danford suffered a concussion in practice during rookie camp. He is now back in the OHL with 12 points in 29 games for the Oshawa Generals.
Fraser Minten and Connor Dewar were both injured at the same time, with the former suffering a sprained ankle and the latter dealing with a shoulder issue at the time. Minten’s injury caused him to miss most of training camp, but he did earn a call-up earlier this year. Dewar had to get surgery for his shoulder, and he only returned to the ice in mid-November.
Then there was the Auston Matthews injuries. The initial upper body issue saw him out in September during the preseason, but returned for the first regular season game against the Canadiens.
However, he suffered another injury in early November that saw him out of the lineup for nearly the entire month, returning in the win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 30th.
The Leaf’s other goalie Joseph Woll also spent some time on the sideline, suffering from what was described as “groin tightness”. He was reactivated towards the end of October, and will now have to hold down the crease with Stolarz injured.
Former Habs forward Max Pacioretty also suffered an injury this season, as he went off with a lower-body knock after taking a hit from current Habs defenceman Mike Matheson. Thankfully he is back on the ice now after missing ten games.
Young forward Matthew Knies also spent time on the IR this season, after suffering an upper-body injury that looked like a concussion. He missed two games.
Bobby McMann suffered a lower-body injury in the team’s recent 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers late last month. He missed seven games, but has just come back thankfully.
Finally, Jake McCabe suffered an upper body injury on November 30th against the Lightning, the game in which Matthews returned to the lineup. He missed five games as a result but is thankfully also back.
This list doesn’t include the players who missed a game or two when they were listed as day-to-day or for precautionary reasons. This includes the one game John Tavares missed as well as the couple games Nick Robertson missed.
Taking stock of the Leafs’ injuries
So far this season, just six players have played every game: forwards Mitch Marner and William Nylander, and defencemen Morgan Rielly, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Chris Tanev, and Steven Lorentz. And somehow through all of it, the Leafs sit tied atop the Atlantic Division with a 19-10-2 record through 31 games.
With how much better the blueline is this season, coupled with the resilience that the team has shown, there is a lot of reason for optimism this season in Toronto. While we all know that it’s the hope that kills you, there is a tiny spark saying as usual, this is our year.
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