As if a second consecutive Game Seven defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins wasn’t enough to sully the mood of Leafs Nation, the franchise announced earlier this afternoon that Travis Dermott, one of their most promising young defensemen, will undergo shoulder surgery tomorrow.
The recovery time for the procedure has been set at a minimum of six months.
Of course, this is not the type of news anyone wants to hear. A six-month layoff brings Dermott’s 2019-20 debut to roughly November 10th, if all goes according to plan, therein forcing the Maple Leafs to spend the opening month of their season without the services of a player who was expected to assume top-four minutes in the wake of Jake Gardiner’s inevitable departure.