Antropov’s Bad Luck Strikes Again

It seems like as soon as Nik Antropov gets his career turned around and back on track from his last injury, within a month or two, another serious injury befalls him. After recovering from reconstructive surgery to both knees two seasons ago and a number of smaller injuries last year, Antropov was finally beginning to find his spot on the Toronto Maple Leafs while developing into an excellent, top 6 forward. He was off to a good start this year with three goals, and physically, he was finally beginning to use his size to his advantage.

On Monday night against Atlanta, another serious injury would befall Nik Antropov. At some point, early in the game, Antropov’s shoulder was separated on a fairly innocent looking play which saw him stumble and fall with his shoulder forward into the boards.

Prognosis by the team doctors says that he will miss a month at the minimum and, quite possibly, a lot longer should the shoulder require surgery. For Antropov, this will be yet another serious injury to overcome. The only good news is that Antropov, after two serious knee injuries, seems to heel quite well as he has not had any recurring problems after the surgeries to his knees.

His injury will also, not allow for Coach Pat Quinn to stay with any constant lines. He will have to juggle some players around to fill Antropov’s empty spot on the top line. Speculation says that Owen Nolan will be brought up to the first line with Sundin and Mogilny but who will take his spot is still undetermined. Renberg is still trying to recover from his rib injury sustained early in the season. Once he is ready, he could take Antropov’s spot on the top line. Until he is ready, this may allow Nathan Perrott to return to the lineup.

It will be important for the Leafs to come out with a strong effort against Buffalo on Thursday to prevent the crushing loss against Atlanta from starting a losing skid. This could be difficult as Buffalo seems to have improved from last year, not to mention the fact that the Leafs always seem to struggle in Buffalo.