Rifai Out Week-to-Week; Blankenburg Also Banged Up After Columbus

Two more defensive bodies down. Marshall Rifai is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, and Nick Blankenburg left the Columbus game in the third period after taking a hit along the boards. Neither absence has been resolved, and the blue line was already short on options before either of them went down.

The depth chart behind Darren Raddysh was thin coming into this stretch. Dakota Mermis is the next name on the list, and he hasn't contributed meaningfully at this level. That's the gap Toronto is now working around, and it isn't a new problem — I noted after the McCabe injury on October 21 that the blue line was being asked to give more than it had. Rifai and Blankenburg were part of whatever answer existed to that question. Now they're not available either.

Morgan Rielly is still in the mix, which matters. But the cushion is gone. My read is that the next week or so will tell you a lot about whether this group can hold together with the pieces remaining, or whether the front office needs to make a move. The Marlies are the obvious first call. Beyond that, it's a short list.