Jake Gardiner, arguably the Toronto Maple Leafs best 5v5 defender, and up and coming future all-star Travis Dermot are both out “week to week,” which, for the NHL, is a pretty detailed injury announcement.
These two injuries are going to cost the Leafs.
Sure, some clowns are going to celebrate Gardiner’s injury, but he’s going to be missed, as is Dermott. The Leafs are going to clearly lose a step with two of their top four defensemen out of the lineup.
There is, however, some upside to this situation.
Experimentation
With Gardiner and Dermott out, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be forced to experiment with some alternate pairings.