The Toronto Maple Leafs have been anything but healthy this season, as they’ve had multiple high-profile players on the shelf with various injuries, including Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Chris Tanev, Anthony Stolarz, and Morgan Rielly.
It was Rielly who was injured during Toronto’s recent 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks over the weekend, which managed to break what was a six-game winless skid. It came at a cost, as Rielly was hurt and was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the game.
The Maple Leafs, who have confirmed that Rielly is unavailable for their game on Monday evening against the Calgary Flames as part of their ongoing road swing, didn’t give the rosiest of pictures when it comes to a potential return.
“It’s a loss for the team, him not being there tonight. He is still being evaluated, so I can’t answer the question right now,” head coach Craig Berube explained earlier on Monday.
“It was in-game,” Berube continued. “He left the bench, went behind, came back, and tried it again. There was nothing he could do. This has been lingering with him for a bit. We haven’t mentioned it, but it has been going on for a bit, this issue. It has obviously gotten worse.”
Rielly will also not play later in the week against the Edmonton Oilers, which is Toronto’s last matchup before the schedule breaks to accommodate the Winter Olympics break.
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Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube Implied Morgan Rielly Was Already Dealing With Something
Berube seemingly implied that Rielly was already dealing with some kind of ailment, stopping short of calling it an injury, before he departed against the Canucks.
“Any time you have some sort of lingering injury — I am not even calling it an injury, because he was playing — it affects your play, for sure,” he said. “I don’t think that was a big reason for his play. I know we talk about his play a lot, but if you look at our team’s play during that stretch where we weren’t doing very well, he is just a part of it.”
“It is a loss for the team. A couple of D will go in — Myers and Benoit — and they are going to have to do a really good job as a six-man unit tonight,” he said.
“[Rielly] probably won’t be back here before the break, but the break will do him a lot of good, getting a reset here and getting back, healthy, and fresh going forward.”
Rielly, who is the longest-tenured current member of the Maple Leafs, has scored seven goals while adding 24 assists, but has posted a minus-17 rating while averaging 21:33 of ice time.
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The Maple Leafs Have Been Very Shorthanded This Season
The Maple Leafs have been very shorthanded this season, as they’ve suffered multiple injuries to high-profile players.
Auston Matthews has missed several games, while William Nylander has now twice missed at least six straight games.
Goaltender Anthony Stolarz only recently returned from a multi-month absence, while Chris Tanev has missed the majority of the season and might not play again until next season.
Maple Leafs Confirm The Fate Of Injured Defenseman Morgan Rielly