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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman briefly steps away from hockey
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit is not in the lineup tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and it appears as though he could be gone for some time.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have dealt with a ton of injuries this season, specifically on their blue line, with guys like Brandon Carlo and Chris Tanev going down.
This has allowed players like Troy Stecher and even Dakota Mermis to get into the lineup. Simon Benoit has also carved out a permanent role for himself with the team.
Going into tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Benoit was supposed to be in the lineup; however, he was replaced at the last minute by Philippe Myers.
Simon Benoit steps away from the Toronto Maple Leafs
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, this is because Benoit is briefly stepping away from hockey to deal with something in his personal life.
It's always hard to see something like this happen, and you can't help but feel for the player and his family during this difficult time.
For Myers, this is a major opportunity, as he has mostly been subjected to healthy scratches over the past couple of weeks.
As for the rest of the lineup, Calle Jarnkrok and Matias Maccelli found themselves as healthy scratches after poor showings against the Washington Capitals.
William Nylander and Max Domi came into the lineup, which is exactly what you like to see. Nylander is a huge part of the team and is very much needed.
Ultimately, Benoit is going to be missed. You never want to see a player go through something off the ice, even if it is part of life sometimes.
We wish the defenseman well, and we hope that he is able to get back on the ice sooner rather than later.
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