The Toronto Maple Leafs have finally learned the extent of the injury to veteran forward Joe Thornton on Friday, and the news is not great, but it definitely could be worse.
Sportsnet's Chris Johnston is reporting on Friday that Thornton fractured a rib during Wednesday's matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, due to taking a hard hit from Oilers forward Josh Archibald awkwardly after distributing the puck. Thornton is expected to miss the next four weeks, give or take, due to the injury.
If the news about the 41-year-old wasn't bad enough, the Leafs are already without the services of rookie Nick Robertson (knee), and superstar forward Auston Matthews has also been sidelined with an unknown injury - though Matthews' ailment is reportedly not serious and very short-term.
The Maple Leafs play host to the Oilers once again on Friday, as they look to redeem themselves after a lackluster offensive effort on Wednesday. The festivities will kick off at 7pm ET.
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