MONTREAL, QUEBEC – OCTOBER 26: Ilya Mikheyev (Photo by Stephane Dube /Getty Images)
The Injured Players Returning
In the last game prior to the season being interrupted, Morgan Rielly made his return to the lineup against the Tampa Bay Lightning and played well in spite of not registering a point. He wasn’t, however, the only key player set to rejoin the team down the stretch.
Ilya Mikheyev, who injured his wrist in a horrific collision back in December, was close to reuniting with his teammates in short order. According to his agent, Mikheyev is now ‘100% healthy’ will be ready to go once play restarts.
Jake Muzzin was also nearing his return following a broken hand ailment putting him out of commission for a month. He was a critical force on the back end and would have provided a huge boost to the depleted defensive core that was barely treading above water at times.
Along with Cody Ceci already arriving back into play, the Leafs were finally on the cusp of icing a nearly healthy roster for the first time in weeks.
While they would have been with Andreas Johnsson anyway, it was a glimmer of hope after a year in which the team was decimated by the injury bug.
Much like every other storyline on this list, we may never know just how much of an impact these players reinstatement into the lineup would have truly had on the team. It will remain one of the biggest question marks in the weeks and months ahead.