The Toronto Maple Leafs cannot catch a break when it comes to injuries. After losing Morgan Rielly, Jack Roslovic and Colton Sissons in back-to-back games this past weekend, the Maple Leafs organization is now without Ben Danford, who suffered a broken wrist with the Toronto Marlies this past week.
The Marlies initially listed him as out day-to-day while they figured out what he was dealing with, but now that it's official, he is out week-to-week while he recovers.
Danford's injury could hurt his chances of getting called up
The timing of Danford's injury is pretty unfortunate, especially with the Maple Leafs dealing with some injuries of their own on the blue line. Rielly is sidelined, and Chris Tanev is sitting games out with some planned maintenance, which could have opened the door for Danford to get a chance at the NHL level.
There was still the salary cap situation to figure out, as the Maple Leafs would have needed to clear some space on their tagging room before calling him up. Danford could have been an interesting option if they needed another defenceman.
He's still developing, but getting a chance to play with the NHL group and potentially get top four minutes would have been a valuable experience for him. Even if he played on the third pairing, the experience at the NHL level is what he would benefit from.
Unfortunately, being sidelined week-to-week means he'll have to put that opportunity on hold. Instead of potentially getting a look with Toronto, he'll remain with the Marlies once he recovers and work on getting back up to speed. He'll need some time to get comfortable again and find his game before the Maple Leafs can really consider bringing him up.
It's an unfortunate setback for Danford, especially with a potential opportunity starting to open up in Toronto. He still has plenty of time to work his way towards the NHL, and this injury shouldn't change how the organization views his future. However, the timing certainly isn't ideal, and he'll have to wait a little longer for his chance.
The Maple Leafs may need to look externally for help
With Rielly, Nick Blankenburg and Danford out, John Chayka and the Maple Leafs may have to turn to the waiver wire for an NHL defenceman or even call up Philippe Myers to help share the workload. The good news is, Tanev isn't hurt; he just needed a game off for maintenance, so there is really only one blue line spot left to fill.
It's unfortunate that the Maple Leafs couldn't find a way to get Danford into the lineup with the injuries to the blue line. Although it would have taken some roster juggling to make work, it would have been nice to see him with the NHL club. However, now, his focus will be on recovering from his broken wrist and getting back to his previous form.
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