Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford has a broken wrist, and Marlies head coach Steve Sullivan says he's week to week, per a Monday report.
For a franchise already in a rough stretch, it's the kind of news nobody in Toronto wanted. Danford is a 20-year-old defenseman from Belleville, Ontario, taken 31st overall by the Maple Leafs in 2024.
Leafslatest passed along the details on Monday, noting that the injury happened November 4 when Danford blocked a pass.
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The post also says Sullivan now lists him as "week to week." That is not a return date, and nobody has put a firm timeline on it. Leafslatest called it awful luck up and down the organization.
Danford has yet to play an NHL game, so there is no hole to fill in the Toronto lineup tonight. What he loses is time on the ice, and for a young defenseman still building toward the NHL, that matters.
The Maple Leafs have their hands full at the NHL level too. They are 8-9-2, they've lost three straight, and they were shut out 4-0 by the Devils on Sunday while Connor Hellebuyck stopped all 23 shots he faced.
Does Danford's injury change anything for Toronto's blue line?
Not in the short term. A prospect with no NHL games isn't part of the plan for Tuesday, and head coach Jim Hiller will make his decisions with the players already on the roster.
But the timing stings. A first-round pick who is supposed to be climbing the ladder now spends weeks in a cast, while general manager John Chayka's team sits seventh in the Atlantic Division and needs help from somewhere.
It also adds to a week of noise around the club. We already covered the Nikita Kucherov mock trade to the Maple Leafs that made the rounds, and a wrist injury in the system is the opposite kind of headline.
Toronto's next test is Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche. Any further word on Danford's wrist will come from the Marlies.
Quick hits
NEW YORK ISLANDERS: Mathew Barzal sits out tonight in San Jose, but the news is a little better than before. His knee injury is now day-to-day.
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DALLAS STARS: Brien Rea reports the Stars have claimed goaltender Remi Poirier off waivers from the Washington Capitals. Plenty of fans wanted this one.
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ST-LOUIS BLUES: Jeremy Rutherford, Lou Korac and Matthew DeFranks all confirmed this afternoon that Logan Mailloux has been activated from injured reserve. The Blues' defense gets a shake-up.
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OTTAWA SENATORS: Bruce Garrioch reports the Wild have placed Cam Crotty on waivers. The Senators get the first right to reclaim him, so Steve Staios has a decision to make.
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WASHINGTON CAPITALS: Capitals PR announced the club has recalled 34-year-old defenseman Justin Holl from the Hershey Bears. The move comes before a road trip.
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Should the Maple Leafs shut down Ben Danford's season debut plans until he is fully healed, however long it takes?
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