The Pens were ravished by injuries, because other teams abused them physically, without repercussions.
I can't imagine the Leafs management would want to emulate that beaten, bullied and bloodied approach to trying to win despite being physically manhandled.
You talk as if all their injuries were only because of people taking liberties with them.
The biggest injuries were Letang and Murray which were more complete flukes then not having a goon to defend them.
If you think a Matthews is ever going to get through 49 playoff games in 2 years without being physically ravaged then you haven't watched much hockey since the goons have really been phased out.
These are all high performance athletes. They fight their own battles, even in the goon era if you want to go back to players like Iginla and Lecavalier settling their own disputes.
We win when a Matthews, a Marner, a Nylander are among the guys pushing the pace into late May and June. Not when they have protection. Or more protection.
The other side of the argument is Pittsburgh doesn't have near the depth with a goon and there's no guarantee any change to the roster doesn't mean a completely different fate since you're talking a radically different approach with toughness then they took and their method paid off with a championship.
The grind on their bodies, physically and mentally, is inevitable. Toughness doesn't change that. If anything it's arguable that it makes their job even tougher while they try and make up for skills their 4th line toughness lacks.