Leafs confirm the worst for injured defenseman Morgan Rielly

In case you missed it last night, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly left his team's game against the New York Islanders after colliding with Isles forward Kyle Palmieri. 

The collision didn't look too serious, but Rielly left the game and did not return.

Check it out:

This morning the Leafs announced that Rielly has been placed on long-term injury reserve with a knee injury.

TSN reporter Darren Dreger is reporting that Rielly suffered an MCL injury and is looking at a 4-6 week recovery.

This is obviously a HUGE blow to a Leafs' D corps that is already a bit undermanned due injuries to Jake Muzzin and T.J. Brodie.

The 28 year old Rielly has 16 points in 20 games for the Leafs so far this season and is unquestionably the team's best blue liner. With Rielly, Muzzin and Brodie all on the shelf the Leafs are forced to dress a D corps featuring Mark Giordano, Justin Holl, Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren, Victor Mete and Jordie Benn. No offence to any of those guys, but that's not exactly an elite crew on the back end. When a 40 year old is your best defenseman by far, it speaks volumes.

As for Rielly, here's hoping that he can get back to full health in the next six weeks. An MCL injury is no joke and even when players have come back from it mid-season, there's usually an adjustment period. He's not likely to have the explosive acceleration and next-level skating ability that we've come to know him for.

And now with the team's top three blueliners out long-term, I fully expect GM Kyle Dubas to dig into some trade talks around the league. There are some quality defensemen up for grabs around the NHL with Jakob Chychrun, Tyler Myers and John Klingberg as the most obvious targets. I could see any one of those three players slotting in nicely for the Leafs, but the real question for Dubas and the Leafs will be, "Are you willing to pay the price?"