The Maple Leafs’ injury list got a little longer again, and this time it cost them one of their most reliable defensive forwards.
Colton Sissons has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 8, another hit for Toronto as the team tries to steady itself during a four-game losing streak. The Leafs are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday and now have Minnesota waiting next, with the questions around the roster only getting louder.
Sissons was hurt in Toronto’s game against the New Jersey Devils, and the club initially labeled him week-to-week. Moving him to IR makes the absence more concrete: he’s going to be out for at least a few weeks, depending on the injury.
For Toronto, that’s a real problem. Sissons, 33, has six points in 19 games this season and has been one of the team’s most physical and dependable bottom-six pieces. He’s winning face-offs at nearly a 60% rate, has 38 hits - second-most on the team - and has done his part to keep pucks moving and chances coming.
That kind of player matters even more when the group around him is already stretched thin defensively. Losing Sissons takes away one of the forwards who helps cover that ground, and now the burden shifts to the rest of the bottom six.
That means more has to come from Nick Paul, Teddy Blueger, and Brandon Duhaime. Toronto also recalled Brendan Brisson from the AHL and still has Ryan Tverberg on the roster, so the exact replacement for Sissons isn’t settled yet. Whoever gets the job, the standard has to be higher.
No one is under more pressure than Gavin McKenna. If he remains on the third line, Toronto needs more from him defensively, not just another heavy lift from Nick Paul. He’ll have to be sharper with puck clearances, transition passes, and willing to battle in the dirty areas.
However the lineup shakes out, Sissons’ absence is a setback. Toronto can shuffle pieces around, but replacing what he brings won’t be easy.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs May Have A Blue-Line Move Bigger Than A Rental
The Maple Leafs are still hunting for help on the blue line, and the talk around the deadline suggests they are not just looking for a stopgap. Toronto appears interested in a defenseman who can fit alongside the teams core for more than a quick playoff push, which is a different kind of swing than the usual rental chase. That makes the market a little more complicated, but also a lot more interesting for a club trying to solve a problem that has lingered beyond one season.
Names such as Cam York, Alexander Nikishin, Rasmus Sandin and Simon Edvinsson have surfaced as possible fits because of their age, contract situations and longer-term appeal. None of that means a deal is close, and the Leafs still have to find the right match if they want to turn interest into an actual upgrade, but the fact they are being linked to this tier of defender says plenty about how they view their next move. [Read more 🡒]
Why Gavin McKennas Role Just Became A Bigger Leafs Debate
The Maple Leafs skid took another hit in Minnesota, where a 5-2 loss marked their seventh defeat in eight games without earning any points, and it also put Gavin McKennas usage back under the microscope. McKenna skated just 10:37, his lowest ice time of the season, even though he has been one of the more productive young pieces on the roster with six goals and 13 points in 21 games.
Jim Hillers message afterward was clear enough: McKenna will have to prove he can be more than a scoring threat if he wants a larger role. The coach said the young forward needs to be a good all-around player and handle the grind of the season, which turns every shift into part of a bigger Leafs debate about how much responsibility he should be given right now. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Are Seeing Progress But One Problem Still Looms
A day away from the rink took the Maple Leafs into a different setting this week, with the club using the Blue Jays facilities as an off-ice workout stop designed to shake up the routine and give the group a little extra energy. Jim Hiller said the change of scenery can matter, especially when a team is trying to keep its legs and its focus sharp while working through the middle of the season grind.
Hiller also pointed to signs of progress in the Leafs recent play, even if the clean-up work is far from finished. Mistakes are still showing up, but the bigger message was about sustaining a positive culture and carrying that mindset into the next stretch of games, with the quality of the Blue Jays setup serving as a reminder that sometimes a different environment can help a team reset. [Read more 🡒]