The Toronto Maple Leafs' blue line has taken another major blow, as the club placed Morgan Rielly on long-term injured reserve Tuesday with a knee injury.
The Leafs will now be without their three highest-paid defensemen for the foreseeable future. Jake Muzzin is also on LTIR and out until at least February with a spine injury, and T.J. Brodie is dealing with an oblique ailment.
Players on LTIR must miss a minimum of 10 games and 24 days.
Rielly was hurt Monday night in Toronto's overtime loss to the New York Islanders. He left the game in the third period and didn't return after colliding awkwardly with Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri. Rielly took a shift after the collision but then departed for the rest of the contest.
The 28-year-old leads all Leafs skaters with exactly 23 minutes of average ice time over 20 games this season. Rielly hasn't scored a goal in 2022-23, but he ranks second on the team in assists (16) and fifth in points behind the club's four core forwards.
Rielly was also driving possession before the injury. Toronto controlled 53.23% of the expected goals and 52.19% of the scoring chances with him on the ice at five-on-five this season, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The Leafs recalled rearguards Victor Mete and Mac Hollowell from the AHL's Marlies in corresponding moves Tuesday. Toronto's blue line looked like this at Tuesday's practice, per TSN's Mark Masters:
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Mark Giordano | Justin Holl |
| Rasmus Sandin | Timothy Liljegren |
| Jordie Benn | Mac Hollowell |
| Victor Mete |
Rielly is in his 10th season with the Maple Leafs, who drafted him fifth overall in 2012. He produced 10 goals and 58 assists while suiting up for all 82 games in 2021-22. The Vancouver-born defender missed only one contest during the shortened 2021 campaign.
