Maple Leafs place Morgan Rielly on long-term injured reserve with knee injury

TORONTO – Mo problems.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' already-dented blueline was dealt another significant blow Tuesday morning, with news that their best defenceman, Morgan Rielly, has been placed on long-term injured reserve with a left knee injury.

Coach Sheldon Keefe says Rielly will not need surgery and did not provide a timeline for return beyond the LTIR requirement.

Rielly, 28, must miss a minimum of 10 games and 24 days, meaning his earliest return would be Dec. 17 in Washington. Reports suggested Rielly will need four to six weeks to recover, however.

The Leafs recalled defencemen Victor Mete and Mac Hollowell from the Marlies in advance of their four-game U.S. road trip, which kicks off Wednesday in New Jersey.

Hollowell will make his NHL debut, and Mete will travel as an extra.

“It means everything. I've been waiting for this moment since I was a little kid,” Hollowell, a long-serving Marlie, said. “Just want to make my mark with team, help them win games.”

Toronto’s D corps had already been relying heavily on depth contributions with Jake Muzzin (LTIR, spine) out indefinitely and T.J. Brodie (IR, oblique) ruled out for this road trip.

Brodie did put in some on-ice solo work at the club’s practice facility Tuesday.

Rielly accidentally collided in open ice with Kyle Palmieri early in the third period of Monday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders, tweaking and clutching his left knee. Both men hit the ice and were slow to rise. Rielly skated one more shift before leaving the game.

“It’s for sure worrisome. We know the role he plays on and off the ice for our team. I think he’s one of the best defencemen in the league,” captain John Tavares said.

Rielly paces all Leafs by skating 23 minutes a night. He runs point on the top power-play unit and leads all Toronto D-men with 16 assists in 20 games.

“Are you a better team when you have Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie and Jake Muzzin in the lineup? Of course, you're a better team,” Keefe said. “But it's not the first time a team has dealt with injuries to key players. Not the first time our team has dealt with injuries to key players. And each time we've responded well, won games, played even better defensively than we were when we had all these guys in the lineup.

“It doesn't do you any good to sit there and feel sorry for yourself or anything like that. You gotta go play the games. Each time we've lost a guy, for a moment, maybe you think, wow, that sucks. (Yet) it seems like our team plays better. So, I'm expecting the same.”

Money helps place these losses in context.

The Maple Leafs will dress a blue line carrying a whopping $7.1-million cap hit Wednesday. Meanwhile, they’ll have $18.125 million worth of regular defencemen on the shelf.

Mark Giordano’s re-signing for $800,000 feels all the more valuable now that the 39-year-old is the top D-man standing and should draw the toughest road matchups.

But how much can the Leafs push the oldest skater in the league?

“We might find out,” Keefe said, smiling. “He wants to keep the engine firing. And he tells us that the more he plays, the better he feels.”

Rasmus Sandin said his confidence took a hit earlier in the season but that it’s now growing — just in time for him to take over Rielly’s duties running the top power-play unit.

“It's definitely time for all the other guys to step up and fill those big shoes,” Sandin said. “So yeah, it's up to us.”

The Maple Leafs (10-5-5, 25 points) came into the season with designs on winning the Atlantic Division.

They sit in second place, nine points back of the Boston Bruins.

Maintaining their lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning (23 points), Detroit Red Wings (22 points) and Florida Panthers (20 points) will prove challenging considering injuries to their top three defencemen.

“Obviously, it sucks losing Mo, but guys are excited for the opportunity and new guys coming in the lineup,” Giordano said.

“It's important for us as the group of six to fulfill those minutes as a whole team to really defend well and play well as a group of five when we're on the ice to kind of lock it down.”

One-Timers: Nick Robertson draws back into the lineup Wednesday, alongside Tavares and Mitch Marner, while Denis Malgin will be healthy-scratched.... Wayne Simmonds was placed on waivers for a second time this season.... Assistant coach Dean Chynoweth missed Monday’s game and Tuesday’s practice due to a non-COVID illness. He is cleared to travel with the team.