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Brandon Carlo, Toronto Maple Leafs (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

Maple Leafs Weekly: Injuries, Hughes & Coleman

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Spencer Lazary | Last updated Dec 4, 2025 2:15 PM ET

Welcome back to another edition of Maple Leafs Weekly, where we go over the big things that happened regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Over the last week, Toronto continued their road trip with games against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Florida Panthers. During that stretch, they went 3-1, and have won back-to-back games. They are now heading to Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes tonight in their last stop before returning home.

In this edition, we will be looking at the injuries on the team, as well as the Maple Leafs being linked to Quinn Hughes, and lastly, it has been reported that they are showing interest in Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman.

Maple Leafs Injuries Still Plaguing the Team

The Maple Leafs have been one of the teams hit the hardest with injuries and while they are slowly getting players back healthy, they are still without some of their most important players on the blue line and of course, their starting goalie. Unfortunately, they are going to be without Brandon Carlo for an extended period of time as he suffered a setback in his recovery and now will likely require surgery to fix the issue. This is going to be a huge loss for a team that has seemed to finally find Morgan Rielly a reliable defense partner. At this time, there is no timeline set for his return.

As for Chris Tanev, he has been skating but it looks like he will be out of the lineup for a bit longer. He has been out of the lineup since he got re-injured on Nov. 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers. His loss has been felt the hardest, as he is the best defensive defensemen and tends to be the glue that holds the entire blue line together. Lastly, Anthony Stolarz, his injury is a bit mysterious. He left the game after being pulled and while most people would have assumed that he was just dealing with a few nagging injuries from playing so much, it is quite the opposite. He has been out of the lineup for some time and at this time, it doesn’t look like his return to the lineup is going to be anytime soon.

Maple Leafs Linked to Quinn Hughes?

Over the last few weeks, there have been a number of reports that the Maple Leafs are being linked to Vancouver Canucks defensemen Hughes. It started with a discussion on TSN’s Overdrive, when the three hosts talked about how they would be willing to trade Matthew Knies for Hughes. After that, it caught fire and just about every outlet that covers both sides covered the story. But the real question is, is there any truth to the rumors?

Well, it doesn’t truly make sense. On paper, yes it does. The Maple Leafs need someone who can help on the power play, control play from the blue line and contribute offensively more than the aforementioned Rielly can. But the trade itself doesn’t make a ton of sense. Why would Toronto opt to trade Knies, who fills a void within the top six that they haven’t had in the Auston Matthews era, for a defensemen in Hughes that inevitably wants to play with his brothers. So, unless both Jack and Luke Hughes are also going to be joining the Maple Leafs down the road, the trade doesn’t quite make sense for the organization to do.

Maple Leafs Interested in Blake Coleman

According to a report from RG Media, the Maple Leafs are reportedly showing interest in Flames forward Coleman. A source told RG Media that Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving is a big fan of Coleman as a player. Which makes sense, he would fill a need that this team is missing and at a fairly low cost.

Blake Coleman, Calgary Flames (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

He is a strong two-way forward that can be used on the penalty kill, on a second power play unit, at the end of the game when they are defending the lead. He can also score, in the past he has reached the 20 goal mark three seasons in a row. The asking price for him could be an area that the Maple Leafs need to figure out, as they don’t have a ton of assets to give. Regardless, it does make sense for them to be interested in Coleman, especially when you consider what this team is lacking.