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Tim Connolly’s Leafs stint starts as expected: with injury concerns

Buffalo Sabres v Toronto Maple Leafs

TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 12: of the Buffalo Sabres skates in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 12, 2011 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. The Leafs defeated the Sabres 4-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Claus Andersen

Some players are frustrating because people believe they lack intensity, but few things are as disappointing as an injury-prone player. That frustration doubles when that often-hurt individual possesses dazzling skills, though.

Tim Connolly’s injury woes devolved his relationship with the Buffalo Sabres so significantly that he rarely felt welcome at home. It’s easy to empathize with Connolly because there’s only so much a person can do to avoid getting hurt in a physical game like hockey, but it’s understandable that Sabres fans grew tired of it.

Those same fans know today’s update all too well, then. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Connolly is expected to play in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ home opener, but that could change on he morning of that Thursday contest. The fragile forward is currently dealing with an upper-body injury of an unspecified severity.

If things go to plan, the Leafs will defy the odds by having both Connolly and Matthew Lombardi in their opening night lineup. Lombardi’s rehab from post-concussion syndrome is seemingly going better than expected, although we’ll certainly keep an eye out to see if his situation changes.

The health of those two players is one of main reasons why the Maple Leafs rank as one of the league’s biggest mystery teams. Combining Connolly’s creative playmaking with Phil Kessel’s sniping skills could give Toronto scoring depth alongside the Nikolai Kulemin-Mikhail Grabovski-Clarke MacArthur line while Lombardi’s speed and versatility would be a boon in defensive situations.

Of course, they could just as easily miss a bunch of games and leave the Leafs with largely the same offense that scored 218 goals last season. The Montreal Canadiens (216 goals) were the only East team that managed to make the playoffs with less than 224 goals, so the Leafs know that they’ll need to be more explosive in 2011-12.

A healthy Connolly could give them that extra boost needed, which is a situation that could torment the Leafs and their fans all season long. Time will tell if he’s worth the trouble.

(H/T to Rotoworld.)