The 7-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night was not only the Toronto Maple Leafs worst defeat of the season, it will undoubtedly have implications for the remainder of the season, as winger James van Riemsdyk suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left foot during the game and will be lost for 6-8 weeks.
The 26-year-old winger leads the club with 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 40 games as part the Leafs most productive scoring line with center Tyler Bozak and winger PA Parenteau.
The injury is a significant one for Toronto, who have struggled to generate offense most of the season without Phil Kessel. The Leafs are currently 23rd in the NHL with 104 goals and will be without van Riemsdyk until early to mid-March.
The loss of van Riemsdyk may be the death blow to the faint hopes of Toronto climbing back into the race for a playoff spot and the tipping point for the club to become sellers before the February 29th trade deadline.
With consecutive losses to Los Angeles and San Jose, the Leafs are eight points in back of Boston and New Jersey for the wild cards in the Eastern Conference and are currently 27th in the NHL with 39 points.
The Leafs recalled forward Josh Leivo from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. The 22-year-old Innisfil, ON native is second in team scoring with 11 goals and 19 assists in 35 games and was selected for the AHL All-Star Game last week, along with injured center William Nylander and defenseman TJ Brennan.
Leivo has thrived offensively in his third AHL season, playing mostly with Nylander and the recently traded Richard Panik. It is unknown whether head coach Mike Babcock will use him in a scoring role or move up a more experienced winger like Shawn Matthias and play the rookie in the bottom-six. *******
Shocked to hear of the passing of David Bowie early Monday morning, just two days after the release of his album and his 69th birthday.
#RIPDavidBowie pic.twitter.com/GdUsmmsEqB
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) January 11, 2016Here are a few of his many great songs:
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******
Note : Continue to check back to my column on Hockeybuzz throughout the day for the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.