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The Toronto Maple Leafs will not have much of a veteran safety net on defense with TJ Brodie out for at least two weeks and confirmation that Jake Muzzin is out indefinitely, which puts more of an onus on youngsters Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren, starting Tuesday as the Leafs take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
This is the second meeting between the two clubs in a week, with the Pens winning 4-2 at Scotiabank Arena last Friday. Toronto is coming off an incomplete effort in a 3-2 victory over Vancouver on Saturday and will get some help with the return of goalie Matt Murray between the pipes against his former club.
"Matt's a professional. He's as even-keeled and confident as they come. I don't think (the layoff has) affected him at all." Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. "I know he's just accepted the situation for what it is and gotten to work to recover as quickly as he can and be prepared for whenever the time comes to get back in the net, which is tonight and to me, he looks very prepared."
Murray returns after missing a month with an adductor strain. The club went 7-4-3 in his absence with Ilya Samsonov and Erik Kallgren in goal, and the Leafs will need better goaltending going forward if they plan on stabilizing and making progress in the Atlantic Division.
With both Brodie and Muzzin out, the Leafs will once again start Jordie Benn (paired with Morgan Rielly) and elevate Mark Giordano to play with Justin Holl, but the key to getting through this stretch will be Sandin and Liljegren being able to take on a larger role.
Liljegren played well paired with Rielly last week, but Sandin has struggled after missing training camp due to a contract impasse. Keefe may be hesitant to lump more responsibility on the young Swedes and may want to rely on the more experienced pairing of Giordano and Holl, but the club clearly wants to load manage the 39-year-old and has to know that more minutes expose Holl to more opportunities to give away the puck.
The Leafs recalled forward Pontus Holmberg and defenseman Mac Hollowell from the AHL Marlies on Monday and Holmberg will make his second NHL start playing center between Pierre Engvall and Calle Jarnkrok.
The update on Muzzin’s status prompted GM Kyle Dubas to meet with the media on Monday. The veteran blueliner suffered a neck injury against Arizona on October 17 and is out indefinitely with a cervical spine injury.
“(This injury) is not something you want to really mess around with.… Dubas said. “Unless he is 100% sure that this recovery time is going to allow it to settle and not be an issue, we have to do what is right for his long-term health. He is a father of two young children and a husband. We have to make sure we are doing right by him. As important as he is to us as a player, his health is paramount.…
The Leafs will wait until a medical re-evaluation in late February, but there is an expectation that the 33-year-old will not return this season, and if that is the case, Dubas will undoubtedly be in the market for a blueliner before the NHL Trade Deadline in early March.
“We have some young defensemen who have earned more opportunities in Timothy and Rasmus — and see how much they can handle. With the increased opportunity, can they continue to elevate themselves as they each have in their respective starts to their careers for us?… Dubas said. “Even if they elevate themselves — if it is going to be enough to help us really accomplish what we want to accomplish, and then we will evaluate the trade market and go from there. It is the usual course, but we are not in any real hurry to fill it. We want to see what these guys bring.…
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