Leafs’ Morgan Rielly out day-to-day with lower-body injury

The hapless Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be a little shorthanded heading into the latest edition of the Battle of Ontario.

The team announced that defenseman Morgan Rielly will not be in the lineup when the Leafs take on the Ottawa Senators due to a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.

It hasn’t been revealed what has made Rielly unavailable for Hockey Night in Canada. Everything seemed status quo for the 32-year-old in Toronto’s overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. He logged 18:33 of ice time, posted a plus/minus of -1 in the defeat.

While it’s unclear how much time the veteran blueliner will miss, the Leafs would love to have him back in the lineup next week, as the team is tasked with another back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday, taking on the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, respectively.

It hasn’t been a fun season for Rielly and the Maple Leafs. Along with the team facing the fact that it might miss the postseason for the first time in a decade. In 67 games, the Vancouver native has nine goals and 24 assists for 33 points, and could miss the 40-point mark for the first time since the COVID-shortened 2021 season. He has a rating of -17, which is the worst in his career since the 2016-17 campaign, the year the Leafs’ playoff streak began, while averaging 21:15 of ice time.

In 940 career games, all with Toronto, Rielly has scored 96 goals and 450 assists for 546 points. He’s also totaled 47 points in 70 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

The Leafs (29-28-13) are last in the Atlantic Division, 13 points back of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.