The Toronto Maple Leafs have another injury on their hands. Forward Andreas Johnsson suffered an injury to his knee and exited early against the Dallas Stars. Johnsson will require surgery and will be out at least eight weeks. The team is already without several of the regular players including Morgan Rielly and Ilya Mikheyev.
Sheldon Keefe says the injury to Andreas Johnsson will require surgery & will miss at least eight weeks
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 14, 2020
Andreas Johnsson Out for Leafs
The 25-year-old has missed time earlier this year but still has eight goals and 21 points in 42 games. That production is modest but the team doesn’t need Johnsson to star considering the team’s existing star power. He is a moderate physical presence but his value is as a complementary piece to Toronto’s stars.
Support is one area where Johnsson excels. His 53.9 Corsi For percentage is fifth among Leafs skaters who have played at least 20 games. He also has respectable numbers assisting on the power play. Nothing about Johnsson stands out but he is a good top-nine option that teams often need throughout a season. He could end up as trade bait as well but an injury lowers the likelihood he is moved before the deadline. However, some team might look at his skill set and reasonable cap hit of $3.4 million through 2022-23 as something worth acquiring.
What This Means for the Future
The injury certainly hurts but Toronto has the tools to handle another absence. The team could promote one of several players from the AHL squad to take Johnsson’s spot. Nic Petan is the most likely player to be called up with his experience this season but Toronto could also decide to take a chance on prospect Jeremy Bracco. They are still third in the Atlantic Division, so expect at least one move to address scoring depth in the next couple of weeks.
While Toronto can weather Johnsson’s knee troubles, they cannot afford any more significant injuries. They are already missing three regular options that were on the opening night roster. Watch the team closely for moves despite a severe lack of cap space when players return from the IR.
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