Toronto Maple Leafs: Andreas Johnsson Injured by Knee on Knee Hit
By James Tanner
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Andreas Johnsson was injured during last night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The 23 year old emerging star wingers was having a great year, and had already scored once in the game, when he was viciously kneed by Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb.
Johnsson left the game and did not return.
No update on his condition has been released.
Andreas Johnsson
McNabb was penalized on the play, but he should face a suspension for the dirty play. The NHL, however, is way too lenient on dangerous plays, and most likely if he is suspended at all, it will be just for a single game.
But I doubt he’ll even get that.
As for the Toronto Maple Leafs, if Johnsson is out long-term, that is going to seriously hurt them.
Andreas Johnsson is by far the Leafs best left winger, despite the fact that Mike Babcock has played him out of position on the fourth line since he came back from his concussion several weeks ago.
Some good news after the game came when Auston Matthews told Mark Masters that it’s “nothing too serious,” however Matthews is not a doctor and knee injuries can be tricky.
Auston Matthews optimistic on Andreas Johnsson: "Fortunately it's nothing too serious. He's playing so well for us ..."
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 15, 2019
Babcock: "We hope he's OK. They'll be doing everything precautionary, we'll look at it tomorrow & see what goes on. Ennis is dying to get in anyway, I think."
If we are lucky, the point of contact was higher on the leg, and did not directly impact the knee. That is what the video appears to show, but it’s difficult to know if that is just wishful thinking.
Johnsson has 15 goals and 31 points in what has been a breakout season for the former 7th rounder. Johnsson is 24 and is in his first full season in the NHL. Last year, had he not been called up late in the season, he would have most likely won the AHL scoring title.
After a slow start to the year, he has been nothing short of fantastic. He has surpassed Zach Hyman and Patrick Marleau to become the Toronto Maple Leafs best left wing option, and is poised to be a star player.
His 2.68 points per sixty minutes of ice time rank him 23rd in the NHL, ahead of players like Mikko Raantanen, Alex Ovechkin and E. Malkin.
Next. Why Kapanen and Johnsson are Untouchable. dark
This is first line production, and amazingly, it ranks him fourth on the Leafs after Matthews, Marner and Tavares who are 3rd, 4th and 10th respectively. Since January first, William Nylander has scored 2.4 points per sixty, which would put him 42nd overall. Needless to say, the Toronto Maple Leafs can score.
Here is hoping Andreas Johnsson isn’t out for long.
Thanks for reading.
All stats naturalstattrick.com