Morgan Rielly injury turns Toronto Maple Leafs’ blueline crisis from bad to critical

It’s not like 3-on-3 had been the Toronto Maple Leafs’ forte this season. They were already 1-4 in overtime entering Monday’s home game against the New York Islanders. But they were particularly directionless this time out, missing a key rower to guide the boat. Morgan Rielly’s absence to start the extra frame was glaring.

The Leafs’ defense corps was significantly thinned out after Jake Muzzin suffered a career-threatening cervical spine injury in October. The situation was downgraded to dire after T.J. Brodie strained his oblique Nov. 12. And, after Monday night’s costly 3-2 loss to the Islanders, the blueline’s status shifts to critical. The Leafs have lost No. 1 defenseman Rielly for an indefinite amount of time. Make that three of Toronto’s top four out.

Early in the third period, Rielly collided with Islanders right winger Kyle Palmieri. Both players went down in heaps, and both were forced from the game. Rielly returned for one shift before checking out. After the game, Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe indicated Rielly would have to get imaging done on the undisclosed injury. Its severity is unknown.

“It’s tough. We’re already missing guys, and Morgan is so important to our team and to our back end in particular,” Keefe said. “We lose Muzzin, (the media) made a big deal of it, it wasn’t a big deal. We lose Brodie, (the media) made a big deal of it, it wasn’t a big deal. We just have to keep playing. That’s the way it goes.”

Rielly, 28, is the team’s most important defenseman and it isn’t particularly close. He averaged 23:30 per game going into Monday’s contest, almost two minutes more than the closest Leaf D-man. Rielly’s 16 assists through 19 tied him for second among NHL defensemen entering Monday’s game. He’s the franchise’s active leader in games, his 389 career points rank fifth in team history among defensemen, and he’s a massively influential voice in in the dressing room. Setting aside any debate over his overall two-way game, it’s undeniable that Rielly is an irreplaceable member of the team’s current core.

“What he does when he gets the puck in his hands in our D-zone just breaking out the puck, getting it up the ice with speed, really being an extra threat up the ice that slithers in and finds spots around the ice, he does a lot for us in that way,” said right winger Mitch Marner. “He does a lot for us defensively as well, just being on the right guy. “His speed, his stick positioning always seems to be in a really good spot.”

With Rielly hurt, 39-year-old Mark Giordano will be asked to do more as a leader and perhaps as a presence on the top power play unit. With Muzzin and Brodie already out, the Leafs had already been giving extra responsibility and ice time to youngsters Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren, so it’s fair to wonder how much more the team can ask of them. All they can do is treat the situation as yet another opportunity.

“I think we’ve got a do a good job by committee,” Giordano said. “The leadership side of it, you always have to bring that as an older guy, but the young guys can lead as well and step up and fill those minutes and play well, and I thought our guys did a good job tonight. We have the guys back there who are waiting for opportunities, myself included. You always want more ice time, and when you get it, you’ve got to make it count.”

The Leafs are stretched as thin as cellophane now. Sandin also risked injury in the third period of Monday’s game when he stepped in to fight Oliver Wahlstrom after he collided knee on knee with superstar Auston Matthews. The tilt left Sandin bloodied.

The Leafs can continue reaching deeper and deeper into their farm system to fill the gaps. They can cross their fingers and hope Sandin and Liljegren are ready for even more responsibility. But the team already had the motivation and, because of Muzzin going on LTIR, the cap space to explore a trade. If Rielly is forced to miss a significant period of time, a trade can’t merely be an idea for GM Kyle Dubas. It’s a necessity, and an immediate one, even if it requires the sacrifice of a high draft pick and/or a key prospect – perhaps Nick Robertson, whom the Leafs seem determined not to use, parking him in the press box more nights than not this season.

Whom might the Leafs target for help on defense? Our own Frank Seravalli outlined six potential options for the Leafs last week. A seventh could be in play for any NHL team willing to pitch the Arizona Coyotes; the Rielly injury came on the same night that left-shot defenseman Jakob Chychrun returned to the Coyotes’ lineup, and his trade request has been made public.

Whether the Leafs end up chasing a big fish or a smaller stopgap, it’s become clear that Dubas can no longer hold back. Something has to happen. With Rielly joining Muzzin and Brodie on the shelf, this situation is now an emergency.

“It’s for sure worrisome,” said Leafs captain John Tavares. “We know the role he plays on and off the ice for our team. I think he’s one of the best defensemen in the league, just all around in all situations he plays, the competitive nature to him and obviously the skill set he brings. So hopefully it’s nothing too serious.

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Morgan Rielly injury turns Toronto Maple Leafs’ blueline crisis from bad to critical

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