Craig Berube reveals Maple Leafs defenseman needs surgery

Over the weekend, it was expected that Brandon Carlo would be back with the Maple Leafs by Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers.

On Monday, bad news hit the Leafs as Carlo was not on the ice for practice. In the end, it was revealed that he had traveled back to Toronto for further evaluation.

The defenseman had hit a setback, opening the door for Troy Stecher. According to head coach Craig Berube, Carlo will have to miss a lot of time as a result of this setback.

In fact, according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet, it is very probable that Carlo is going to need surgery. This is a devastating update for the defenseman, who was just days away from returning.

The surgery is not guaranteed, although it will certainly factor into any sort of recovery time. For now, there is no timeline for his return.

This is just more bad news for the Maple Leafs' blueline, which is also dealing with a head injury to Chris Tanev, who has been sorely missed as of late.

While forwards like Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Nicolas Roy have returned to the lineup, there are still injuries that just won't go away.

Of course, you have Carlo, Tanev, and goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who has not skated in weeks, at this point.

The Maple Leafs' early-season struggles have largely been due to these injuries, and it doesn't appear as though things are going to get better anytime soon.

It is unfortunate to see although the team does have an opportunity to finally break free and show the league they mean business. If they can beat the Florida Panthers tonight, that will go a long way.