Do you like nice things? Great! Because you can’t have them.
Morgan Rielly is injured, with early estimates expecting the Leafs defender to miss a minimum of eight weeks with a fractured foot. This is cataclysmic news to an already depleted roster. In fact, the impact of Rielly’s injury wouldn’t be as gutting if it was an isolated incident. But when factoring in the continued absence of Jake Muzzin, who remains week-to-week with a foot ailment of his own, the picture only gets bleaker.
The Leafs are entering into a new reality moving forward, one in which they must keep pace within the Atlantic Division playoff race while missing arguably their two top defencemen.