Toronto Maple Leafs’ Trend Of Injuries Continue Ahead Of NHL Trade Deadline

First things first: The Toronto Maple Leafs were not making excuses for their shootout loss to the rebuilding San Jose Sharks, and I’m not here to make excuses for them either.

Yeah, goaltender Alexandar Georgiev played very well for the Sharks, and the Leafs played the day before in Pittsburgh, but when a team has half the amount of points in the standings as you, you’re the favorite and should win.

Nonetheless, it is interesting to note that the loss to San Jose was the first game of the season for Leafs center Calle Jarnkrok, who had previously been on the shelf with groin and hernia surgery. Jarnkrok was eased back into the lineup, playing just 8:23 against the Sharks – but his teammates were happy to see the two-way pivot back in the lineup.

“We’re really excited for him,” said fellow center John Tavares. “It’s been a difficult year for him. He’s worked really hard, and he’s a big part of our team who plays a really valuable role, an unsung hero type of role. It’s very noticeable the things he does: he forechecks, he closes time and space, he reads the play and he has a knack for the net, too.”

But even with Jarnkrok back, Toronto didn’t have its full complement. Scoring winger Max Pacioretty and shutdown defenseman Chris Tanev missed the game due to injury, continuing a trend of maladies the Leafs have pushed through this season.

Every team deals with injuries, but incredibly, only two Maple Leafs have played in every game so far: Morgan Rielly and William Nylander. Otherwise, Toronto has also played through absences from Tavares, superstar center Auston Matthews and both goaltenders, Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, among others. Not that they dwell on it.

“It’s not something we really think about,” Tavares said. “We show up every day, prepare ourselves and get ready to compete. There’s a lot of belief in the group that we have. We’ve had many guys step up and play bigger roles, guys have come up from the (AHL) Marlies and made an impact – that’s what depth is all about. Whatever adversity or variables are thrown your way, you learn to deal with them.”

And hey, let’s not forget Toronto currently sits first in the very dangerous Atlantic Division. But the intrigue here is that we really don’t know how good these Maple Leafs are, because we haven’t seen them at 100 percent yet. With the trade deadline looming, this is very much something GM Brad Treliving can look at when considering any acquisitions and the market for said acquisitions (will Jani Hakanpaa’s knee allow him to return to the lineup at any point, for example).

We know the Florida Panthers are loading up for another Stanley Cup run, and it appears as though Tampa Bay is back in fighting form. What we don’t know yet is how good this edition of the Maple Leafs truly is yet.

NHL Trade Deadline Central 2025: Trade Tracker, Analysis, Speculation, Lists And More One of the most anticipated times on the hockey calendar is here with NHL trade deadline week.

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