It was one in, one out on the blue line for the Maple Leafs at practice on Monday, as veteran Mark Giordano returned, but took the place of an absent Timothy Liljegren.
The Swedish defenceman was not on the ice for practice, due to an injury that head coach Sheldon Keefe described as day-to-day. If Liljegren can’t play on Tuesday when the Leafs host the Vegas Golden Knights, Giordano will play, said Keefe. The veteran was back skating with the team after taking time off due to the death of his father 10 days ago.
Liljegren, 24, saw his average time on ice shoot up during the recent five-game suspension served by fellow blueliner Morgan Rielly, finding himself paired with veteran T.J. Brodie. He has collected seven assists during the Maple Leafs’ recent seven-game win streak.
Keefe said he planned on keeping three goalies with the team for the time being, after the return of Joseph Woll from an ankle injury he suffered on Dec. 7 in Ottawa.
“It’ll be sort of a day-to-day thing here, as we’re getting Joe back up to speed and managing the three guys,” said Keefe, adding that handling how that affects the roster will be up to GM Brad Treliving.
The 25-year-old joins back-in-form Ilya Samsonov and veteran Martin Jones, the latter who steadied things while the other two were out. Woll stopped 36 of 37 shots on Saturday in a rehab game with the AHL’s Marlies.
“It’s been a bit of a hiatus, but I’m excited to be back here,” Woll said after practice. “It’s been awesome to see how different guys have stepped up. It was Jonesy’s time to play. He did his job. And Sammy’s been unbelievable for us.
“My goal goal is to help this team however I can and I’m just glad to be back.”
