Brad Treliving's Cryptic Injury Update Sparks Concerns for Maple Leafs Ahead of Playoffs

It's an exciting time to be a Leaf fan right now. The team is riding a huge wave of momentum heading into the playoffs, fresh off an Atlantic Division title, and securing home-ice advantage for the first round. Backed by strong goaltending, defense, and a better head coach; things are looking pretty good.

But they are still dealing with some concerns, as they are currently without defensemen Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, as well as missing defensive center David Kampf, all out with various injuries.

Their status going into the playoffs is still in question, and with minimal time before Game One is set to start, we still have no idea when or if they are coming back soon.

GM Brad Treliving wasn't too keen on sharing that information either. Asked about the status of his injured roster and if they will play Game One and beyond, Treliving was very careful and short with his words:

That's not good. It's one thing to think that the team is dealing with their injuries and they'll be back in time, but when the GM is so mum with his comments, it starts to grow concerning.

McCabe's absence is the biggest one of all, with Toronto's defense taking a huge hit without him. While they have done really well recently, they aren't the caliber of player that McCabe is, and if the team wants to succeed past the first round, they are going to need him.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson was seen skating the other day, however there's still no timetable for his return. While not as important as McCabe is, the veteran is still vital to Toronto's blue line and is having a bit of a resurgence both offensively and defensively after so many questions about his potential.

David Kampf might not be a name you throw around every day as someone to watch, but he's sneaky good defensively, wins face-offs, is the team's de facto #1 PK center, and he's often used to set the tone after the Leafs score; he keeps opponents flustered and plays smart, but a tad boring for some fans.

But that type of player makes playoff teams better and without him, Toronto is going to be hurting a bit in certain aspects (though if their new fourth line can keep it going, it might not be too bad).

It's unfortunate that Brad Treliving doesn't have the confidence that his players are going to return in time for Game One.

Or maybe he's just playing with Ottawa and giving them a false sense of security before unleashing a healthy roster on an unsuspecting Senators team.