Dion Phaneuf to miss 4-6 weeks with a deep cut in his leg. He has already undergone successful surgery.
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Leafs Hope To Weather Storm Without Injured Phaneuf
TORONTO -- It?s a slice that?ll cut deep for both Dion Phaneuf and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The captain sustained a deep cut to his left leg when he collided awkwardly with Senators winger Peter Regin in the second period of what ended up as a 3-2 loss for the Leafs to the rival Sens. Phaneuf winced immediately in obvious pain and was helped off the ice by medical trainer Andy Playter. Shortly thereafter, he was wheeled out of the ACC, upright on a stretcher device and taken to a nearby hospital.
?Well, he?s got a cut on his leg,? Ron Wilson explained following the game, ?and it was deep enough that they wanted to take him to the hospital to determine the extent of the injury and that?s the last I heard.?
Should he be out for any extended length of time, the Leafs will lose not only a presence on the ice but a presence in the dressing room as well.
?You can?t replace Dion and what he brings to the team,? Wilson said, ?but other people have to step up in a leadership role and be vocal.?
?He?s definitely not a guy you can replace,? Tyler Bozak said. ?He?s our leader and he?s always the guy that we want to have around.?
Always a top priority of GM Brian Burke, the Leafs do have solid NHL depth on defense and in Brett Lebda, a more than capable replacement in the short-term for Phaneuf, who led the Leafs in ice-time entering Tuesday?s game.
Luke Schenn?s jump forward as a third-year defenseman makes the blow somewhat easier to withstand as does the presence of Mike Komisarek, who will likely step in and fill the twenty plus minutes Phaneuf ate up nightly possibly alongside Francois Beauchemin. Schenn could be the guy to replace Phaneuf on the number-one power-play unit, while Komisarek will log heavy minutes five-on-five and shorthanded with the captain out.
?You can?t replace a guy like that just with one guy,? J.S. Giguere noted, ?everybody?s gonna have to contribute and step up their game. We all have to step up our game anyway so we?re gonna have to do it double with Dion gone.?
?We?ve got a deep defense very capable of playing,? Wilson added. ?Some other guys will get some more minutes and we should be able to weather the storm.?
It wouldn?t be surprising either to see the Leafs recall a defenseman from the Marlies as a precaution for Wednesday?s game against the Capitals.
