The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to win their third game in a row tonight when they host the Anaheim Ducks. It won't be easy, however, as they are without Morgan Rielly due to his suspension, Conor Timmins due to mono and now likely without Mark Giordano as he mourns the passing of his father, who died unexpectedly on Thursday following the Leafs' 4-3 OT win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
With the Leafs shorthanded on the blueline, something had to give and with Brad Treliving still pondering his options on the trade market, not yet ready to pull the trigger, the team needed to get a body up with the big group ASAP. This morning, the team has announced that they have recalled defenseman Max Lajoie from the Toronto Marlies.
Lajoie has played four games for the Leafs this season, not registering a point. In 31 games with the Marlies, however, Lajoie has 2 goals and 17 points. The 26-year-old from Quebec was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL draft.
The trade deadline is now less than 3 weeks away, meaning that if the Leafs do wish to upgrade on the blueline, they've go limited time with which to work to get a deal done. While Lajoie is perfectly capable of playing sheltered 3rd pairing minutes in Toronto, I don't know that rostering your 9th or 10th defenseman in the pecking order for more than a handful of games is a recipe for success, so look for Treliving and company to ramp up their efforts to secure an upgrade on the blueline this week or next, as the Leafs typically like to get their work done well ahead of the deadline.
