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Strength of Schedule: Gardiner, Dermott injuries will test Leafs’ depth

By Simon Vacca

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 28: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates in warm-ups prior to the game against the New York Islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on February 28, 2019 in Uniondale City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 28: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates in warm-ups prior to the game against the New York Islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on February 28, 2019 in Uniondale City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Now that John Tavares’ much-anticipated return to Long Island is a thing of the past, let’s have a look at the remainder of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ schedule.

On Thursday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs turned the page on a much-anticipated matter — star center John Tavares’ return to Long Island.

Boos, plastic snakes, jersey tosses, rowdy chants and cries of “Judas!” abound, Tavares showed up to play. To the dismay of Leafs Nation, the overwhelming majority of his fellow teammates did not. The Buds were torched in what would become, without question, the worst game of the club’s 2018-19 campaign — a 6-1 defeat to the Metropolitan-leading New York Islanders.

While Mike Babcock & Co. will surely be relieved to put Thursday night’s failure to rest, the remainder of the season looks to be an uphill climb. Left to grapple with the fallout of week-to-week injuries to defenders Jake Gardiner and Travis Dermott — both top-four staples of the team’s already questionable back end — the Leafs’ lineup shall certainly be pushed to its limits over the course of the next month, as the organization aims to challenge the Boston Bruins for home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Barring a complete and utter implosion, the Leafs’ aspirations of postseason contention should remain a reality. But as Morgan Rielly put it best, “Down the stretch, good teams need [depth]. We’ll have to see what happens, but that might be tested.”

Here’s a look at what’s in store for the Leafs’ remaining games.

  • March 2 — Buffalo Sabres (home)
  • March 4 — Calgary Flames (away)
  • March 6 — Vancouver Canucks (away)
  • March 9 — Edmonton Oilers (away)
  • March 11 — Tampa Bay Lightning (home)
  • March 13 — Chicago Blackhawks (home)
  • March 15 — Philadelphia Flyers (home)
  • March 16 — Ottawa Senators (away)
  • March 19 — Nashville Predators (away)
  • March 20 — Buffalo Sabres (away)
  • March 23 — New York Rangers (home)
  • March 25 — Florida Panthers (home)
  • March 27 — Philadelphia Flyers (away)
  • March 30 — Ottawa Senators (away)
  • April 1 — New York Islanders (away)
  • April 2 — Carolina Hurricanes (home)
  • April 4 — Tampa Bay Lightning (home)
  • April 6 — Montréal Canadiens (away)

Next. NHL Trade Rumors -- Maple Leafs have 3 options with Jake Gardiner. dark

You’ll note that the Buds play a total of 18 more games — eight of which are at home and ten of which shall take place on the road. Eight of those matchups are against division rivals, so expect the Leafs to compete with everything that they have and more as fans await the return of two of the club’s most vital pieces.

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