Injuries To Brodie, Muzzin Likely To Be Addressed Internally By Leafs’

The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off a relatively strong stretch in which they’ve gone 4-1-1, alleviating the angst that had settled in after a rough patch in the final week of October. But nothing is forever, good or bad, in Toronto, and on Monday, fan worry ratcheted up again when the Leafs announced two veteran defensemen, Jake Muzzin and T.J. Brodie, would be sidelined for a while.

Muzzin suffered a cervical spine injury and will be out of action at least until late February, when his status will be re-evaluated; and Brodie, who missed Saturday’s game against Vancouver, was placed on injured reserve with an oblique injury.

The absence of Brodie and Muzzin is devastating for a Leafs’ defense corps that has struggled at times this year, and while this current injury situation is exactly why Toronto GM Kyle Dubas went out last summer and signed Jordie Benn and Victor Mete, the drop-off in quality of play between Muzzin and Brodie, and Mete and Benn, is considerable. Combined with the injuries to Leafs’ goalies Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov, the Leafs’ back end is a mess. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Dubas is on the hunt to make trades to bolster his blueline.

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Rather, what we may see is Buds head coach Sheldon Keefe leaning on Toronto’s remaining healthy D-men more than they have already this year. Top defenseman Morgan Rielly has been averaging a team-best 23:18 of ice time through the Leafs’ 16 games, but he’s capable of playing three to four more minutes a night. Greybeard Mark Giordano has averaged 17:59 per game, and while you don’t want to wear him down and not have him rested and ready for the playoffs, you still may ask him for one or two more minutes per game.

Veteran Justin Holl has struggled, so you probably won’t want to give him more time, but young Swedes Timothy Liljegren (17:19) and Rasmus Sandin (16:56) also can be assigned a couple more minutes a night. That increase in time would make up for approximately half of what Brodie gives you when he’s in the lineup, and from there, Benn and Mete can round out the defense with 13-16 minutes per game. (Toronto called up 24-year-old rookie Mac Hollowell in the wake of announcing Muzzin and Brodie’s injuries, but at 5-foot-9, he’s not likely to step in and star for the Leafs.)

The trade market for a defenseman is not a buyer’s market. By now, most people have heard that the Arizona Coyotes are going to deal Jakub Chychrun, but he hasn’t played a game yet this season due to a wrist injury, and even if he were healthy, the cost of acquiring him would be exorbitant. Dubas would have to include an NHL-ready prospect such as winger Nick Robertson, a first-round draft pick, and another above-average prospect. You can debate whether Chychrun would be worth that kind of trade package, but you can also bet other teams are going to step up and pay that high a price.

This is why the most likely reaction to the Muzzin and Brodie injuries is an internal one. Brodie will be back much sooner than Muzzin, but for the time being, he leaves a bigger hole in the lineup than Muzzin, who has been a deteriorating asset for a while. Brodie isn’t a superstar, but he is a reliable, smart competitor who is a key component of Toronto’s attack. The Leafs don’t currently have a healthy goalie capable of stealing games, so they need the six D-men they put out there every game to elevate their performance.

If that doesn’t happen, Keefe & Co. will need the Leafs’ offense to carry the load for them night-in and night-out. Toronto’s scorers haven’t produced nearly as well as they did last season, but the injuries to Brodie and Muzzin, as well as the goalies, are putting the Buds into a corner. All NHL teams have to deal with injuries in the modern game, but the Leafs’ unfortunate luck on the health front represent a gigantic obstacle to them succeeding as they have of late.

Whatever patchwork solution gets them to the point Brodie returns will be key, and then a decision will have to be made on Muzzin’s future with the franchise. But in the interim, it’s about the guys who are already in the dressing room to deliver positive results.