In last week's edition of The Rap Up, I talked about the importance of the Raptors' upcoming schedule and how it could determine the fate of this year's squad. Since then, news arose that DeMarre Carroll underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will be out long term.

Masai Ujiri's big free agent acquisition has struggled with health in his first season in the North. First going down with plantar fasciitis late in 2015 before suffering an enigmatic knee injury. Now the Raptors have to face two long and crucial road trips and a grueling seven game home stand without their best defensive asset.

As I just told @HayesTSN, I'm hearing an intiial estimate of 6-8 weeks on DeMarre Carroll, but it's still early. — Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) January 6, 2016

The three streaks will take the Raptors into the All-Star break, meaning that the upcoming month is going to be crucial for the team to position themselves into a playoff spot before the February festivities. This stretch will determine whether the team will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, even though it's almost certain they'll be looking to add talent to the roster.

First let's look at the Raptors' schedule. With two games checked off this road trip, Toronto still has to face Washington, Philly and Orlando. The Raps seem to have Washington's number in the regular season, and the Wizards dont have the guy that took down the Dinos in the playoffs last year. James Johnson should have no trouble handling Otto Porter.

Philadelphia has been a mess ever since Andre Iguodala's departure, so this should be a gimme for Toronto. Orlando however, is a tougher task.

The Magic have real threats on the wings in Victor Oladipo, rookie Mario Hezonja and Evan Fournier. They've even used Tobias Harris as a stretch four when going small, and Carroll's absence will pose some issues for the Raps. The burden of defending the wings rests on Johnson, Terrence Ross and DeMar DeRozan.

Carroll's effort on the defensive end may not pop up on the stat sheet, but he's stepped up in crucial situations and helped the Raptors in areas they were desperately lacking come playoff time last season.

On the offensive end, when Carroll's off the court, the Raptors play at a faster pace, but the fast pace actually hurts the team's effective FG%. Carroll isn't a go-to option and doesn't have the mindset to run smoothly on offense. Rather, Carroll's purpose is to limit the opponent's main threat.

Carroll's impact on the boards for the Raptors are game changing. While Carroll may not be the one rebounding, his boxing out allows the Raps to average and additional 3.1 rebounds per game. His defensive pressure on the wings also forces opponents to play on the perimeter rather than drive the lane, causing a higher probability for poor shot selection.

Following the current road trip leading up to All-Star weekend, the Raptors' biggest threats on the wings will include the likes of Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Will Barton, CJ McCollum and Andrew Wiggins. Those are the five biggest threats out of 15 games, which is fortunate.

View photos Raptors' schedule courtesy of Basketball-Reference More

Carroll's initial timeframe on the IR calculates out to after the All-Star break, although it's likely he won't be playing at full strength for the remainder of the year. However, the Raptors must feel fortunate that the schedule is kind to them, and that despite the loss of Carroll, they still have a chance to distance themselves from other teams in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.







More from Yahoo Canada Sports: