It looks as if the Toronto Maple Leafs will be without their best left winger on Saturday as they take on the Coyotes in Arizona.
After winding up on the receiving end of a vicious knee-on-knee hit from Vegas’ Brayden McNabb during Thursday night’s contest with the Golden Knights, the future looked bleak for Andreas Johnsson. The 24-year-old was unable to leave the ice under his own power and was later officially ruled out of the game with a leg injury.
Video footage of the sequence can be found here.
Andreas Johnsson heads straight to the dressing room after taking a knee on knee hit from Brayden McNabb. Doesn't look good.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 15, 2019
Thankfully, things are looking up for Johnsson.
Following what many initially feared could be a potentially season-threatening injury, Johnsson appears to have avoided any serious trauma and, after consultation with the medical staff, has only been ruled out for the Leafs’ next game in Arizona with his status undetermined from there on out. Considering how grisly Johnsson’s injury looked at the time of the hit, this is undoubtedly the best case scenario.
A long-term absence for Johnsson would have been devastating.
The former 7th round pick had been producing at a career-best clip prior to Thursday’s debacle, having put forth 12 points in his last 13 games despite spending most of his minutes on the Leafs’ fourth line. Johnsson’s recent hot streak was actually enough to nudge him into second place in both goals and points among all NHL rookies this season.
While losing Johnsson, even for just one game, is a less-than-ideal outcome for a Leafs team trying to firmly solidify their spot atop the Atlantic Division, it will open the door for a return from Tyler Ennis.
Ennis was reportedly cleared to return to action by the Leafs’ medical staff last week after missing the previous 19 games with a broken ankle and the 29-year-old has reportedly been chomping at the bit to hit the ice for the first time in the New Year.
With Johnsson out and Ennis in, the Leafs lines will look a little something like this:
https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/1096488381129912322
Ennis put forth 11 points in 33 games for the Leafs prior to breaking his ankle on December 22nd. And while those numbers may not carry the sparkle of Johnsson’s 31 in 51, Ennis is still an effective depth winger who will likely add an element of offence to a Leafs fourth line currently featuring the likes of Frederik Gauthier and Par Lindholm.
Entering a crucial stretch of their schedule, it appears as if the Leafs dodged a bullet in regards to one of their most promising young forwards.
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