The Toronto Maple Leafs depth on defense continues to get tested during training camp.
Victor Mete left midway through the team’s morning skate ahead of their game against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday after taking a puck to the leg off a shot from teammate Nick Robertson.
“That was unfortunate, I really didn’t want to hit him,” Robertson said of the incident. “That’s the way she goes sometimes and if I could go back and not do it, I would.”
Mete took line rushes alongside Marshall Rifai during the team’s morning skate before the injury occurred.
William Villeneuve, who was listed on Toronto’s lineup when the team released their roster for Friday’s game yesterday, would presumably slot in to take Mete’s place.
Mete signed a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Maple Leafs this summer. His status will be updated later in the day. But should the ailment be significant, it’ll continue to test Toronto’s blue line depth that has has been beset by a rash of injuries.
Timothy Liljegren (hernia) is expected to be out until mid-November, although he continues to skate with conditioning staff. Carl Dahlstrom is out six month with a shoulder injury and Jordie Benn hasn’t skated since suffering a groin injury during training camp.
Veteran defenseman Jake Muzzin, who has been practicing for about a week since having back issues, has yet to slot into a pre-season game.
“I feel bad because when you’re practicing you obviously don’t want to injure anyone,” Robertson said. “But when you practice you want to like you are practicing at 100 per cent. You’ve got to find a fine line between picking and choosing your spots.”
Shortly after the injury occurred, John Tavares — currently recovering from an oblique injury — took over for Mete on some defensive reps as the morning skate concluded.
Tavares was a surprise extra participant for the team’s morning skate. He continued to skate with other injured players as the other group of Maple Leafs continued on with practice.
More to come…
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