Significant updates on Brandon Carlo and Anthony Stolarz arrive as Maple Leafs deal with ongoing setbacks

It's been a rough season thus far for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They've dealt with injuries since the beginning of the year, and since then it feels like that has snowballed into a fairly critical situation.

Down their two everyday starters, two (and potentially, three) of their everyday defensemen, and concerns about potential underlying injuries to other players; it's an uphill battle to say the least.

We haven't heard much regarding either Anthony Stolarz or Brandon Carlo while we've heard a bit of news regarding Chris Tanev and Joseph Woll; so it's been a mixed bag of information.

But a new report shows that there is some news on Carlo and Stolarz but it's not the news we wanted to hear.

According to head coach Craig Berube, Carlo had surgery on his foot on Dec. 3rd, with no timetable for his return. Meanwhile, Anthony Stolarz has yet to take the ice, but Berube stopped short of saying his season was over for good.

David Alter of The Hockey News reports:

It's a frustrating bit of news for the Maple Leafs as they are still going to be without two key players for the foreseeable future, could be out another defenseman in Oliver Ekman-Larsson after Thursday's injury and reportedly Chris Tanev needs a second opinion after his evaluation.

Things are not looking good for the Maple Leafs right now, and unless Brad Treliving has an ace up his sleeve somewhere, the team is going to need to make a move. Whether it be trading a piece like Calle Jarnkrok or Matias Maccelli, or using the waiver wire; they need bodies right now on the back end.

If the team can't get healthy, it's going to be a rough season and with a stretch of six games in 10 days they are going to be an overworked, tired, and banged up bunch.

It's been reported that the Pittsburgh Penguins are placing Matt Dumba on waivers, so there's a potential option to help cover for Carlo and Tanev in the meantime, but in terms of goaltending; there's not much.

So it'll be up to the rookie contingent of Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov for now until the team sees Joseph Woll or Stolarz back on the ice, and with a depleted defense; it's a volatile situation.

But Toronto has persevered before, and will need to continue to do so if they wish to have a chance at making the playoffs and having hopefully a fully healthy lineup by then.