When the Toronto Maple Leafs entered the 2024-25 NHL season, they knew they would be up for any challenge that would be thrown at them. But what they didn’t expect was that their biggest challenge to date hadn’t been against any specific opponent, but instead facing adversity with their numerous injury woes.
In fact, the “injury hex” on the Toronto Maple Leafs has gotten to a point that seems beyond control. Right from the start of the regular season, you knew things weren’t going well when the Leafs had four regulars in Joseph Woll, Connor Dewar, Calle Jarnkrok and Jani Hakanpaa begin the year on the IR.
Since then, the Maple Leafs have actually had multiple players that have been sidelined more than once during the course of the season, including star captain Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, Jake McCabe, Max Pacioretty, Dewar and Hakanpaa.
Not to mention more than ten players have missed games for an extended period of time (greater than seven consecutive games is our standard). Meanwhile, only Marner, Nylander, Rielly and Lorentz have played in all 52 games.
Will the Toronto Maple Leafs Injury Hex End Soon?
It just seemed like whenever a healthy body was returning to the lineup, someone else would bite the dust. For instance, just this past week, the Maple Leafs got back key players in John Tavares and Pacioretty. But the hockey gods can’t let the Leafs be that healthy. So the next thing you know, Dewar and now Oliver Ekman-Larsson are out to help balance things once again.
And did I mention Mitch Marner missed practice yesterday? After I wrote this article, I had to come back on and add in the part about Marner. He may or may not have played last night, as when I re-submitted he was a game-time decision.
In total, the Leafs have lost more than 225 man games this season, which is approaching three season’s worth of games. Only the San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, Utah HC, St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings have had it worst than Toronto.
But somehow and some way, the Maple Leafs have stayed competitive and are among the leaders in the Atlantic Division. The Avalanche and Kings have been just as resilient as the Leafs, still managing to maintain a playoff spot for now. But for the other three teams, it made total sense that injuries had taken a toll on their roster, ultimately leading to their struggles this season. The last thing the Leafs need is to eventually look more like Utah, the Blues and Sharks than the Avalanche and Kings.
Hopefully, as the likes of Anthony Stolarz, Jarnkrok and Dewar finally make their way back this month, the Leafs will finally get to see how they can perform with a full healthy lineup. It would also be the perfect time for them to finally break the injury hex as they head into the stretch run looking to secure their playoff spot for the ninth consecutive season. Because the last thing they need is for more players become battered and bruised in the midst of their pursuit of the Stanley Cup. (All stats from NHL Injury Viz)
But one thing is for sure, with all the practice they have had all season playing without a full healthy lineup, the Leafs may be well-prepared compared to previous seasons in dealing with extreme adversity and sustain their winning ways as a result.