According to a variety of NHL reporters including Chris Johnston, Kristen Shilton, and David Alter, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be without Martin Marincin for the next four-to-six weeks.
The big defenseman reportedly has a lower-body injury. It was previously reported as a potential back injury, after Marincin left Saturday night’s game versus the Bruins after falling awkwardly. Marincin has 5 points in 16 games so far this season, a much better pace than any previous season in his career.
This could be an opportunity for Frankie Corrado to see some playing time in the NHL. Corrado recently expressed disappointment with Mike Babcock’s handling of him in his two seasons with his hometown Maple Leafs, having played just 40 games out of a possible 111. He’s played just once this season. Corrado was a fifth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, but was claimed on waivers last October. The Leafs have carried him as an eighth defenseman for the majority of that time to avoid losing him on waivers.
[Related: Maple Leafs Depth Chart]
Meanwhile, Maple Leafs’ first-overall pick Auston Matthews faced his childhood team, the Arizona Coyotes, for the first time in his career. Matthews is a native of Scottsdale, Arizona and has skated with players like Shane Doan in summers past.
While Matthews scored his fourteenth goal of the season in his first game against the Coyotes, Toronto ultimately lost in the shootout at the hands of former Leaf Peter Holland. Holland was traded to the Coyotes one week ago after a tough start to the season with the Maple Leafs, where he only appeared in eight games.