Toronto Maple Leafs: Recent Injury and Roster Updates

If all goes according to plan, the Toronto Maple Leafs will welcome in some new and familiar faces back into the fold very soon.

It hasn’t been an easy past two months on the injury front for the Leafs. In addition to losing a number of players to various bumps and bruises, the team also battled a vicious flu bug that ravaged their locker room and, quite frankly, the entire Greater Toronto Area.

The tides do seem to be turning, however. With a number of injury and roster-related developments hitting the wall seemingly at the same this morning, some may have been lost in the shuffle.

Let’s go over them briefly for a quick refresher.

Jake Gardiner is Skating Again

Life looked pretty bleak for Jake Gardiner as early as six days ago.

Having battled back spasms on and off for long stretches this season, Gardiner’s condition had reached such a dire point that it had begun to be compared to Zach Parise‘s, who missed the first 40 games of the 2017-18 season after undoing corrective back surgery. If Gardiner ended up taking a similar route and ultimately went under the knife, his recovery time would have reportedly been set at around six weeks, at the earliest.

In a shocking turn of events, this morning saw Gardiner begin skating once again and even take part in the Leafs’ optional morning skate while wearing a red no-contact jersey.

Any timeline for Gardiner’s return to game action has reportedly not been set, but the fact that he is back on skates mere days after surgery was thrown around as an inevitable option can only be good news. The Leafs’ blueline has sorely missed Gardiner since he last suited up on February 25th. With his re-introduction into their top-four, Gardiner’s presence may serve as the difference in Toronto’s likely upcoming playoff series with Boston.

Travis Dermott Cleared for Contact

Joining Gardiner on the Good News List™ is Travis Dermott, who has been out of the lineup with an injury of his own since February 27th.

Dermott’s recovery was always going to be more straightforward than Gardiner’s. Dealing with a shoulder injury, Dermott was slated to miss around four weeks at the time of the incident and his return to full-contact practice today seems to be right on schedule.

The absence of a red no-contact sweater is the most telling sign hinting towards Dermott’s return. Much like Gardiner, his presence has been severely missed on a Leafs’ blueline that’s been in shambles without him and swapping him in for Martin Marincin on the third pairing’s left side right before the playoffs begin will push the entire unit to a whole new level.

Speaking of the left side…

Calle Rosen’s Call-Up is Imminent

Another juicy piece of news that Mike Babcock dropped in his post-practice presser this morning was his intention to give Calle Rosen a chance up with the Leafs in the coming weekend.

Having just returned to the Marlies’ lineup on Sunday from an injury of his own (are you sensing a theme here?) the Leafs will give Rosen a chance to play one more game in order to get his legs back under him before ultimately making the jump.

The next game on the Marlies’ schedule, conveniently enough, happens to be a home contest with the Utica Comets on Friday, meaning that it’s entirely possible for Rosen to suit up for that game and then, barring another injury, join the big club prior to their bout with the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

With 45 points in 53 games, Rosen’s promotion may be as deserving as they come.

Since being sent to the Marlies following four less-than-stellar games with the Leafs in October of 2017, the 25-year-old has proceeded to develop into arguably the AHL’s top defenceman this season, logging heavy minutes in all three facets of the game while earning an AHL All-Star nod for his efforts in February.

Rosen will likely only see spot usage down the stretch. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to track how the progress he made down on the farm applies to competition at hockey’s highest level.

Thanks for reading!