TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joins Gino Reda to discuss Joseph Woll’s imminent return, the latest with Anthony Stolarz’s injury, Auston Matthews’ dip in production and whether Brad Treliving can find his captain some help, how injuries are piling up for Team Canada Olympic hopefuls and more fallout from the Quinn Hughes trade.
Gino Reda: Is Joseph Woll ready to go? What’s wrong with Auston Matthews? And injury news continues to pile up for Team Canada.
Lots to talk about with Insider Darren Dreger this morning. Dregs, the Leafs have lost three of their past four as they host the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, but help could be on its way?
Darren Dreger: Yeah, in the name of Joseph Woll, so best-case scenario really for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goaltenders as head coach Craig Berube acknowledged just over a week ago they felt that the Woll injury wasn’t going to long term, that it might seven days, slightly beyond that, and that’s really what it worked out to.
It’s not like the Maple Leafs have been plagued by goaltending issues, per se, their problems extend far beyond the crease, but there’s a shot of confidence throughout the bench, throughout the room, getting Woll back in the net against the Blackhawks.
Berube also acknowledged that Anthony Stolarz continues to see doctors. He’s lined up to see yet another specialist. Berube says that Stolarz is not making the progress he hoped he would and he also suggested that it is not concussion related.
There’s all kind of speculation around the Maple Leafs netminding, but a shot in the arm for the Leafs in getting Woll back.
Reda: Speaking of concern around the Leafs, Matthews is on pace for a career-worst 56 points. Before the season, we were asking if he could challenge for the Rocket [Richard Trophy], maybe even the Art Ross [Trophy], now he’s not even in the top 100 in the league for scoring.
Even Berube’s calling him out publicly right now. So here’s the question: is Matthews hurt, or just really struggling?
Dreger: Well we continue to be told flat-out that the captain of the Maple Leafs is not hurt, he is not injured.
There is nothing lingering. Maybe it’s just the extended hangover of not having his good friend and linemate Mitch Marner as part of the solution, part of the Maple Leafs organization right now.
I know at the start of the year the hope was that Matthews would be able to adjust his game, do things a little differently, not always be the finish guy, but it hasn’t worked out that way.
Berube has put different pieces on that line with Matthews and Matthew Knies when they’ve remained healthy, but they haven’t been able to find a sustained chemistry.
So the obvious applies – what about general manager Brad Treliving?
We know that Treliving would like to add another top-six forward, maybe two top-six forwards, but based on what we saw between the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks, sure, logically, you can look at something like that and say ‘big deals like this can happen,’ but the Wild had the pieces to lure Quinn Hughes from Vancouver, and the Maple Leafs’ cupboard is not as stocked.
That type of player, the type of playmaking player that Matthews needs on that line, isn’t available. But as the season progresses, you can tell that the heat is going to elevate here.
Reda: Speaking of injuries, they’re throwing a wrench in Team Canada’s plans to announce their final roster for the Olympics.
We know the roster is due December 31, but Connor Bedard is out until January, now there are a couple of guys that could be in doubt as well?
Dreger: Yeah, we’ll get injury updates if not today then as the week progresses, but we’re looking at forward Brandon Hagel of the Tampa Bay Lightning and goaltender Darcy Kuemper of the Los Angeles Kings, both of those players injured on Monday night. Why not throw Bedard into the equation as well, right?
The news on Bedard isn’t as bad as was originally feared, so the hope is that Bedard could be back in the mix for the Blackhawks in early January.
Again, we’ll have to wait and see what the final tally is coming out of the Lightning with Hagel, likewise with Kuemper. We know that Hagel was on the team [in February at the Four Nations], as for Kuemper, most definitely in the conversation for the trio of goaltenders that Canada will take to Italy along with [Washington Capitals G] Logan Thompson and [St. Louis Blues G] Jordan Binnington.
All it does is confuse the process if you’re Team Canada management. They expected that they had to contend with injuries, now they might have to with the decision making that will take place between now and December 31.
Reda: Four days after the Hughes trade to the Wild, the fallout continues. That includes teams that were making a serious bid for Hughes, lost out, and now they’re looking for Plan B?
Dreger: Yeah, and right at the top of the list is the New Jersey Devils. It’s not just because they didn’t land Hughes, it’s more about addressing the wants and needs.
The good news from New Jersey’s perspective is that they’ll get Brett Pesce back into the mix, so that’s going to help their blue line.
I think he’s expected to return as early as Wednesday, and Jack Hughes is not that far behind.
He is likely going to return earlier than expected, so internally, that’s a boost for the Devils.
Tom Fitzgerald, the GM for the Devils, is looking for some help. They like the idea of adding a centreman and a defenceman. Obviously Quinn Hughes would’ve bolstered that blue line, but the pieces that would’ve had to have gone to Vancouver just didn’t make sense for New Jersey at this point, so they want to build around what they already have.
They feel like Dawson Mercer is a natural winger. He’s played wing of late, but maybe they can slot him over there full-time if they can land a centreman.
There’s a lot of team in the market for a centre, so Fitzgerald has a long hunting plan ahead of him.
Reda: Dregs, you have a lot on your plate as the trade freeze kicks in later this week.