Maple Leafs Defensive Woes Deepen With Multiple Injuries

The Toronto Maple Leafs can't catch a break on the blue line. Oliver Ekman-Larsson left Wednesday night's game against the Detroit Red Wings with a lower-body injury and is expected to miss time, while defenseman Brandon Carlo may have reaggravated something just days after returning from a two-month absence.

NHL insider Chris Johnston reported the grim news Thursday morning.

"The hits keep coming to the #leafs blue line: Not only did Oliver Ekman-Larsson leave last night's game with a lower-body issue that is expected to cause him to miss some time, but there's concern Brandon Carlo tweaked something as well," Johnston posted.

Ekman-Larsson went to the dressing room midway through the first period after getting tangled up with Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond and did not return. The 34-year-old played just five shifts totaling 1:50 before exiting. He leads Toronto's defensemen with eight goals and 31 points in 50 games while averaging nearly 21 minutes per night.

Season-Long Struggle

The Maple Leafs have dealt with defensive injuries all season. Chris Tanev's season may be over after appearing in just 11 games, with the veteran defenseman potentially requiring groin surgery. Dakota Mermis remains on long-term injured reserve, and Jake McCabe is expected to miss a week with his own lower-body issue.

Carlo's situation is particularly concerning. The 29-year-old just returned to the lineup on January 6 after missing 20 games following foot surgery in early December. He developed an infection in his ankle where he had a plate inserted eight years ago, forcing the surgical procedure.

"It was just a weird situation. It just didn't progress the way that we wanted it to ultimately," Carlo said when discussing his recovery. "I had an old plate in my ankle from like eight years ago, and as I was progressing, things just weren't feeling good around that plate. So I went in, cleaned it up, and I've just been progressing."

The hits keep coming to the #leafs blue line: Not only did Oliver Ekman-Larsson leave last night's game with a lower-body issue that is expected to cause him to miss some time, but there's concern Brandon Carlo tweaked something as well.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) January 22, 2026

If Carlo is indeed dealing with another issue so soon after his return, it creates a massive problem for Toronto. The Maple Leafs are already down to Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, Simon Benoit, and Troy Stecher as their only regular defensemen who have stayed healthy.

Critical Timing

The Maple Leafs sit at 24-17-9 with 57 points, fighting for playoff positioning in the Atlantic Division. Losing two more defensemen simultaneously puts enormous pressure on the remaining healthy players and could force general manager Brad Treliving to make a trade before the March deadline.

Head coach Craig Berube will likely provide updates on both players' status in the coming days. Until then, Toronto faces the challenge of fielding a competitive defensive unit while dealing with the most severe injury crisis on their blue line in years.

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