TORONTO – There are times it has gotten so tough that David Bolland can’t even watch.
The fact the Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled mightily since the tendon on the outside of his left ankle was severed in Vancouver has added a little extra strain to the centre’s long recovery. Six weeks have already passed since Bolland last played – Saturday’s 7-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks was the 19th game he’s missed – and a long road lies ahead before he makes a return.
However, there was at least a little joy to be found on a night where his current team pulled off a surprisingly one-sided victory over his former one. Bolland was even seen smiling during a rare post-game appearance in the bowels of Air Canada Centre.
There hasn’t always been much to smile about lately.
"Sometime I don’t watch (the games) because I want to be out there so bad," Bolland told Sportsnet on Saturday. "You’re just waiting around and you want to get out there."
If a target date for Bolland’s return has been set, no one around the Leafs is saying so. He had a walking boot removed two weeks ago and indicated that his surgically repaired peroneal tendon is healing properly. There have not yet been any attempts to get back on the ice for a skate.
Even though he has been gone from the Leafs lineup, he hasn’t been forgotten. If anything, Bolland’s impact during a 10-4-0 start in October looks even better now because the team has gone 7-9-3 since he was sidelined during the Nov. 2 visit to Rogers Arena.
That has dropped the Leafs back to the final wild card position in the Eastern Conference and brought a little tension into the dressing room – some of which was almost certainly alleviated with the best offensive performance of the season against a top-notch Chicago team.
It was probably no coincidence that it was sparked by a lineup shuffle involving Peter Holland, who scored twice while occupying Bolland’s old spot between Mason Raymond and Joffrey Lupul. Overall, that newly formed second line combined for 11 points and finally eased some of the offensive burden from the top trio.
"It’s always nice to see your team supply enough offence that you can actually breathe from the 10-minute mark of the third period," coach Randy Carlyle said.
One of the more interesting storylines to develop around the Leafs in the early part of the year was how quickly the veteran coach came to trust Bolland, the only past Stanley Cup winner on the roster. He used him on the penalty kill and sent him out for key faceoffs late in games. Bolland even saw a bit of power-play time and chipped in with 10 points over 15 games.
Basically, it amounted to a jack-of-all-trades role that was nearly impossible to fill when he was sidelined, especially since fellow centre Tyler Bozak also ran into injury trouble and Nazem Kadri was then forced to sit out a three-game suspension.
Were it not for that collision of events the Leafs likely wouldn’t have gone out and acquired Holland in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 16. That move could end up being one of the positives to inadvertently emerge from Bolland’s absence.
At just 22, Holland is a former first-round pick who has yet to be given a serious look in the NHL. And while it’s taken him a little time to get that chance in Toronto, it’s been impossible to miss his offensive flair now that it appears to have arrived.
"I came in and it was a new set of eyes to kind of see what I was all about," Holland said. "They’ve given me a good opportunity here and as long as I’m playing my game I think I have the ability to play at this level.
"Obviously playing with guys like Lupul and Raymond is going to help me stick around too."
The team could find itself with an interesting array of options down the middle if it can ever get healthy. In the meantime, the goal is to merely stay above water – something a win like this one will help them do.
With the Blackhawks in town, Bolland had a chance to catch up with some of his former teammates. He spent time with Jonathan Toews on Friday night and walked out to the players’ bench while the Blackhawks were being put through their morning skate on Saturday.
"He’s kind of going through a tough time with his injury right now," Chicago winger Patrick Kane said.
Bolland acknowledged as much himself – even if it’s not an unfamiliar experience. He battled a groin issue last season before eventually returning to score the Cup-clinching goal and refers to his current layoff as a "slow process" that is complicated by the fact it arrived so soon into his tenure with his hometown team.
However, despite the struggles in his absence, the 27-year-old is adamant that he’ll be joining a playoff-bound squad whenever he’s healthy enough to return.
"I think we still have a great team," Bolland said. "We all go through slumps – I know back in 2010 when we won our first Cup (in Chicago), we did. Teams go through that, it happens, but it’s just something you have to build off of."
Bolland and the Leafs can only hope that a victory over the NHL’s top team on Saturday night is an indicator of better times ahead. The road they’ve both travelled the last little bit has been rough.