Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
William Nylander is going to miss Saturday’s game vs. Winnipeg and is in doubt for Monday as the Maple Leafs expect Jacob Quillan to join them after a call-up.
Doing so on a goal celebration no less, it’s a huge blow to the Maple Leafs offense and it feels like the team is preparing for a few more games without their superstar forward.
Toronto looks ahead to life without Nylander
Due to Nylander’s injury, the Maple Leafs are expected to call-up Jacob Quillan and have him join the team in Winnipeg for Saturday night’s game:
This comes off the heels of Darren Dreger’s report that Nylander is indeed going to be out and could be unavailable on Monday vs. Minnesota:
It means that things are going to look a little different and we very well could see Bobby McMann back in the top-six with Quillan taking the wing in the bottom-six alongside Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz.
We don’t have an exact lineup as of yet, but with the Jets coming in hot and the Maple Leafs coming off a heartbreaking loss to Vegas; whoever gets the call needs to step it up.
Why this could be just the start of more roster moves
Depending on how the team wants to approach things, they could be playing it safe with Nylander and feel that Quillan — arguably their best AHL player right now — can help out.
Quillan, 23, has 27 points in 28 games for the Marlies this year (8 goals, 19 assists) while adding 19 PIM and playing both the power-play and the penalty kill.
He’s a defensively sound forward who has the potential to add some offense and as we’ve seen with Easton Cowan; it takes one veteran to get things going.
Craig Berube loves him from all indications, so there’s a good chance he gets a little more playing time although it could be a matter of just having a body to make sure they can handle things; he may not even play and we could see Calle Jarnkrok instead.
So you could see players like Alex Nylander, Bo Groulx, and William Villeneuve get their chances, not to mention the team has NHL-ready talent with Vinni Lettieri and Michael Pezzetta.
It’s going to be a story to follow as Toronto can’t afford to lose anymore bodies to injury, but also need to find ways to plug holes into their lineup if they find themselves without two or three everyday players.
Now is the time for the young guns to start firing, and it could very well start with Quillan in Winnipeg on Saturday night.
Previously on Hockey Patrol
POLL
6 HOURS AGOÂ Â Â |Â Â Â 118 ANSWERS
William Nylander forces the Leafs to make a roster move in Winnipeg, and it could be just the start
Do you think William Nylander’s injury will keep him out until the Olympics?