The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired one of the biggest names available at the NHL Trade Deadline in Ryan O'Reilly, but will now be without the forward for the foreseeable future after he broke his finger on Saturday night.
“At his media availability, [Toronto] head coach Sheldon Keefe says Ryan O’Reilly has a broken finger and will be going on [long-term injured reserve],” tweeted Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on Monday. “Timeline uncertain as of now.”
O'Reilly suffered the injury when he was struck with a puck late in the second period of the Leafs' 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. He left the game and did not return. He will be out for at least the next 10 games and 24 days after being placed on LTIR.
It's a tough blow for the Leafs, who were playing O'Reilly along with superstars Mitch Marner and John Tavares and having success with the trio. He had three goals and two assists in nine games with the Atlantic Division juggernauts.
The 32-year-old Stanley Cup champion was acquired along with forward Noel Acciari in a three-team trade on Feb. 17 that also involved the Minnesota Wild. The Blues received the Leafs' 2023 first-round pick and the Ottawa Senators' 2023 third-round pick, as well as the Leafs' 2024 second-round pick, forward Adam Gaudette and prospect Mikhail Abramov.
It's expected that Leafs' Ryan O'Reilly will only miss around 3-4 weeks with the ailment, meaning he should be able to get back into the lineup before the postseason.
The Leafs return to action against Timo Meier and the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. They are currently second in the Atlantic Divison with 84 points and 19 games remaining in the regular season.
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