The Toronto Maple Leafs’ blue line took another hit on Friday morning, and the team answered with a pair of call-ups from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
Toronto brought up defensemen Dakota Mermis and Cole McWard while placing Nick Blankenburg and Marshall Rifai on Injured Reserve. Both players now have to sit out at least seven days, though one of them is expected to be out longer.
According to TSN’s Mark Masters, Rifai is out week-to-week and will likely miss well beyond the minimum IR stint. Blankenburg’s status is less clear, but he exited Thursday night’s game against the Rangers after taking a heavy hit along the boards from Will Cuylle.
The move adds to a situation that has already become a problem for the Leafs. Chris Tanev has been out earlier in the season with an injury, and his absence has left Toronto without one of the pieces that helped stabilize the defense. The result has been a unit that has struggled badly on the defensive side of the puck.
That’s especially concerning because the team’s other strengths are being dragged into the mess. The forwards have been elite, but the goaltending has been mediocre, and the shaky defense may be making life harder on the goalies than it should be.
At this point, the pressure is only building to do something about the blue line. John Chayka has most likely been looking for help, and these injuries only increase the urgency.
For now, Toronto is left trying to get by with a top group that includes Morgan Rielly, Darren Raddysh, and Jake McCabe. Oliver Ekman-Larsson has not been a steady performer, and while Troy Stecher has earned some attention after scoring the game-winning goal against the Rangers, he still profiles more like a No. 6 defenseman than someone the Leafs want leaning this heavily on.
The possibility of help remains on the table, but the immediate concern is simpler: the Leafs can’t afford to keep losing defensemen.
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