With the news that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf will be on the shelf nursing a laceration to his left leg for up to six weeks, many Maple Leafs fans are starting to ask the obvious question—what now?
Whether it was an act of foresight or just downright good luck, Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke stocked the Maple Leafs cupboard with eight NHL-calibre defensemen to start the season—which means the loss of Phaneuf, while serious, can be softened.
Tomas Kaberle, Luke Schenn, Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin will continue to be the Maple Leafs' top four, with Carl Gunnarsson and Brett Lebda left to fight it out for that coveted fifth and sixth man roster spot. In a pinch the Maple Leafs could call up Jeff Finger from the Marlies, but that may be a stretch.
For my money, I like the idea of throwing Gunnarsson out on the power play—but I am also very aware that Lebda is probably the more polished defenseman right now.
Either way—whether the Maple Leafs start Lebda or Gunnarsson—both players are capable of logging upwards of 15 minutes per game, which is more than enough to cover the minutes Phaneuf was ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Mark Ritter
Toronto Maple Leafs: Dion Phaneuf Out 4-6 Weeks, Now What?
November 3rd, 2010 by Mark Ritter Leave a reply »
Advertisement