Sheldon Keefe has surprising reaction to Morgan Rielly news

The Toronto Maple Leafs were dealt a significant blow last night, as defenseman Morgan Rielly suffered what the team believes to be a Grade 1 or 2 MCL sprain. He’s been placed on LTIR, meaning he’ll be absent for at least the next four weeks. 

This certainly doesn’t bode well for a team already playing without two top blue liners in Jake Muzzin and TJ Brodie. 

However, if you’re looking for a doom and gloom “woe is me” reaction from head coach Sheldon Keefe, you won’t find it. In fact, it’s almost the opposite. 

“We lose Muzzin, (the media) made a big deal out of it. It wasn’t a big deal,” he said. “Brodie, (the media) made a big deal of it. It wasn’t a big deal. We just gotta keep playing. That’s the way it goes.”

Where will the Leafs miss the veteran defenseman the most? That’s an obvious answer, according to Keefe.

“On the ice,” he said.

The Leafs are back at it tomorrow night in New Jersey against the Devils.