The defenseman was injured during the third period of a 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. General manager Kyle Dubas said Thursday that Ceci would be out "a while."
Ceci was placed on injured reserve and the Maple Leafs called up defenseman
Timothy Liljegren
from Toronto of the American Hockey League. Liljegren has played one NHL game this season.
"[Ceci's] a guy who's very consistent with how he plays, with his competitiveness and his ability to help us on the penalty kill," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe told TSN on Friday. "Below the dots and in our zone, he's as competitive a guy as we have there. That said, you get a real opportunity for a young player (Liljegren) to get some experience and that'll help us as well."
Ceci had eight points (one goal, seven assists) and was plus-8 in 54 games this season, his first with the Maple Leafs, who acquired him in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on July 1, 2019. He has 126 points (33 goals, 93 assists) in 494 NHL games.
The Maple Leafs, who lost their past two games, were two points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Toronto played the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.
