Major update on the Leafs' D-corps from NHL insider Kevin Weekes
Something's GOT to give in Toronto...
HockeyFeed
Last week Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed that veteran defenseman Mark Giordano will be out of the team's lineup week to week with a broken finger.
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Today, NHL insider Kevin Weekes confirmed that Giordano will be out 4-6 weeks with the injury.
The 40 year old defenseman left the Leafs' game last Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers with what the team described as an "upper body injury". He has one goal and five points in 19 games with the Leafs so far this season, his third campaign with his hometown team.
The Leafs have recalled 28 year old defenseman Max Lajoie from the AHL's Toronto Marlies to replace Giordano's spot in the lineup.
Meanwhile, the Leafs are already missing defensemen John Klingberg and Timothy Liljegren. It seems likely at this point that Klingberg's season, and maybe his career, is over. Certainly, I can't see him returning to the Leafs given just how poorly he has played and how obvious the Leafs have made it that they're doing everything they can to bury his $4.15 million cap hit. Liljegren is still out of the lineup for at least a few weeks with a lower body injury thanks to a trip from Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand.
So, with Giordano, Klingberg and Liljegren all out of action long-term, the Leafs' defense corps has essentially been cut in half. Of course they still have Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie and Jake McCabe holding things down, but the likes of Lajoie, Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins don't really inspire a ton of confidence.
I'd expect Keefe to load up his top pairing of Rielly and Brodie and give them as much ice time as they can handle until Liljegren and/or Giordano can return to action. Benoit and McCabe will likely comprise the team's second defense pairing, with Lajoie and Timmins getting third pairing duty.
With the Leafs desperate for some veteran presence on the blue line, don't be surprised if the rumors of a trade with the Calgary Flames for Chris Tanev intensify.
