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Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly out 8 weeks with fractured foot

By Adam GretzJan 13, 2020, 2:58 PM EST
2 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ 8-4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday evening ended up being a lot worse than just an ugly final score.

It also cost them their top defenseman for the next two months.

The Maple Leafs announced on Monday that Morgan Rielly is going to be sidelined for at least the next eight weeks after fracturing his foot in Sunday’s game.

He will immediately be placed on injured reserve and re-evaluated in eight weeks.

The team also announced that Rasmus Sandin, their first-round pick in 2018, has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.

A questionable defense gets even worse

There is no way to sugarcoat this for the Maple Leafs, it is a significant loss.

They are already thin on the blue line and were probably going to need add another player before the trade deadline even when they were healthy. Now they are going to have to find a way to replace their best defenseman for two months in the middle of a playoff push. Adding to their problems is that Jake Muzzin, one of their other top defensemen, is also currently sidelined on a week-to-week basis due to a foot injury of his own.

Sandin is a fine prospect and has been having a great season in the AHL, but the Maple Leafs’ defense is in shambles right now.

Their current list of healthy defensemen: Tyson Barrie, Travis Dermott, Justin Holl, Martin Marincin, Cody Ceci, and Sandin.

That is, quite simply, not a very good NHL defense. Especially for a team that is supposed to be a Stanley Cup contender. They are going to need a huge push from Frederik Andersen in goal to mask that.

The Maple Leafs have been one of the hottest teams in the league under new coach Sheldon Keefe, but because of their slow start they still have just a two-point cushion in the playoff race.

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.

Red Wings’ Fabbri fined for spearing Maple Leafs’ Kerfoot

Fabbri fined
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By James O'BrienDec 22, 2019, 4:24 PM EST
1 Comment

Detroit Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri was fined $2,419.35 for spearing Toronto Maple Leafs center Alexander Kerfoot. The incident took place during the Maple Leafs’ violent 4-1 win.

No suspensions or fine beyond what Fabbri received?

Fabbri speared Kerfoot during the second period, while the most explosive action happened late in the the third.

With the game out of reach, Jake Muzzin mixed it up with Anthony Mantha, and Mantha’s scary fall resulted in an injury. Moments later, Andreas Athanasiou tried to go after Kerfoot, only to instead get physical with Justin Holl.

Barring additional updates from the NHL, it looks like Fabbri is the only one to receive supplemental discipline from that game. This clip captures the spear the league fined Fabbri for:

Mixed injury news for Red Wings

While the severity of Mantha’s injury isn’t totally clear, the latest word isn’t very promising.

The Red Wings placed Mantha on IR on Sunday. Maybe this represents merely a smaller setback, but it’s troubling to see, considering his difficulty leaving the ice.

Detroit also received some decent news, though, as Jimmy Howard was removed from LTIR. It could be interesting to see where his career goes, as Howard is a pending UFA. Could he improve his trade value going forward? Howard’s contract doesn’t include a no-trade clause, so we’ll see.

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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.

Mantha injured during nastiness between Red Wings and Maple Leafs

By James O'BrienDec 22, 2019, 1:06 AM EST
2 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings announced that Anthony Mantha will be out Sunday with an upper-body injury. Judging by the nasty fall he suffered during rough stuff with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin, that isn’t very surprising.

The Blackhawks and Avalanche got a little nasty on Saturday, but apparently they weren’t alone.

Mantha injured, Athanasiou reacts

Most NHL games present frequent danger, but hockey players should be on even higher alert when the score isn’t very close. Such a thought comes to mind after witnessing some of the ugly late moments of Toronto’s 4-1 win vs. Detroit on Saturday.

Mantha needed help off of the ice after a dangerous takedown by Muzzin, as you can see from the video above. While Muzzin’s actions may draw league attention, Mantha didn’t exactly shy away from contact, either.

After seeing Mantha leave the ice injured, Andreas Athanasiou may have lost his cool. Witness as Athanasiou goes after Alexander Kerfoot, only for Kerfoot to seemingly avoid most of the damage. Following that attempt, Athanasiou got into it with Justin Holl:

To reiterate, both teams knew that the game was out of reach at that point. With little fear of taking penalties that would hurt your chance to win, players can go over the line. While the league took measures to discourage late-game fights, what about stretches of dirty play like these?

Relief for a relief goalie

Auston Matthews and Zach Hyman both enjoyed big nights, scoring three points apiece. You might peg Michael Hutchinson as the happiest Maple Leaf, however, as he finally won a game.

“It was a challenge [to keep positive over the first two months of the season],” Hutchinson said. “I think I was doing a good job about it. Getting sent down (to the American Hockey League), that’s always difficult, so regaining that good headspace is a process, and you can’t do it on your own. [Goaltending coach] Steve [Briere] and I have a good relationship, and there’s a lot of people in our organization you’re able to talk to open and honestly so you can feel good about yourself and ready to play at your best when you get that opportunity.”

UPDATE:

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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.

The Buzzer: Rookies get all the goals

Associated Press
By Scott BilleckJan 31, 2018, 11:39 PM EST
2 Comments

Players of the Night:

Travis Dermott and Justin Holl, Toronto Maple Leafs: Both Dermott and Holl scored their first NHL goals on Wednesday, Dermott in his ninth NHL game and Holl in his first. Dermott assisted on Holl’s goal, because of course he did.

Chandler Stephenson, Washington Capitals: Stephenson scored his third and fourth career NHL goals to help drag the Capitals back from an early first-period 2-0 deficit. His goals began a run of five straight for the Caps, who beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3.

Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks: Jones sure could have used some run support on Wednesday. He made 43 of 44 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Someone owes the man a dinner.

Highlights of the Night:

Nice pass from Wayne Simmonds. Nice finish from Nolan Patrick.

Geez, Louise, Tomas Tatar.

Factoids of the Night:

MISC:

Scores:

Maple Leafs 5, Islanders 0

Capitals 5, Flyers 3

Red Wings 2, Sharks 1 (SO)

Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck

‘Hawks sign Minnesota Frozen Four hero to minor-league deal

By Joe YerdonAug 4, 2014, 11:00 PM EDT
4 Comments

We’ll close out Blackhawks Day on PHT with news of a signing for their AHL team in Rockford and he’s got some Frozen Four cred.

Jason Gonzalez of The Star Tribune reports the Blackhawks have signed former University of Minnesota defenseman Justin Holl to a one-year deal to join the Rockford IceHogs.

Holl, 22, was a 2010 second-round pick by Chicago and will forever be remembered by Golden Gophers fans for helping defeat hated rival North Dakota in the 2014 Frozen Four semifinal. His goal with 0.6 seconds left gave the Gophers a 2-1 victory and a spot in the national championship game against eventual champion Union College.

In four seasons at Minnesota, Holl tallied eight goals and 38 points. He joins what’s become a crowded pack of young defensemen in the fold with the Blackhawks that includes former college players Stephen Johns (Notre Dame), Adam Clendening (Boston University), and Trevor van Riemsdyk (New Hampshire).