Craig Berube Reveals Why Simon Benoit Isn't Ready to Return Just Yet

When news broke of defenseman Simon Benoit's injury during training camp, it was a sign that the Toronto Maple Leafs might not be over their injury issues which is something that plagued them all of last season.

While he's not someone like Auston Matthews, Benoit is still a key part of the defense and brings both an extremely physical and aggressive game to Craig Berube's lineup.

But while his absence has led to others getting a prime opportunity, the fact remains that Benoit is still going to need to be healthy and in the lineup if Toronto wants to be successful, so the question remains:

When does he return?

Well, according to Craig Berube it doesn't sound like it's anytime soon, however the coach did relent that the injury itself wasn't too serious and shouldn't keep him out for too much longer:

Although as we saw last season, whenever Berube said someone was going to be out for the short-term it tended to last for any length of time from a week to several months.

One positive Toronto can take out of this is that Ben Danford was called upon to step in while Benoit recovers and his placement in the lineup allows Oliver Ekman-Larsson to play on his proper side; a huge benefit to both the team's offense and defense.

A knock on Benoit last season was how his defense could be considered shaky at times, and while he's certainly more than capable of playing regular minutes, Toronto already has an aging defensive group, so adding some youth by way of Danford could be a great bit of foresight.

Last year, Benoit skated in 78 games and put up 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists) and a plus-12 rating which is a huge leap in both offensive production and defensive metrics (he was a minus-29 in 2023-24).

With a lot of competition up front for Toronto, there might be a battle on the back end between Benoit and Danford, especially the longer he stays out and the more the prospect gets reps.