The Toronto Maple Leafs may be waiting on one big injury update after Monday night’s game against the Calgary Flames, and it centers on Kirill Marchenko.
Marchenko left the contest with a lower-body injury after taking a hit from Flames forward Yegor Sharangovich. The contact bent Marchenko’s left leg awkwardly as he slid into the boards. He stretched the leg on the bench, tried to come back, and then quickly headed to the locker room, according to David Alter of The Hockey News.
That’s the kind of exit Toronto can’t afford to lose lightly. Marchenko was one of three Maple Leafs scoring at better than a point-per-game clip, and he entered Monday with 14 points in 13 games.
If he needs time out, Gavin McKenna would likely move back into Toronto’s top six. The reigning first-overall pick has opened his career with eight points in 13 games.
The full extent of Marchenko’s injury is set to be the biggest story around Toronto this week.
There was another injury scare in the same game. Flames forward Aydar Suniev also left Monday’s matchup, leaving with an apparent head injury in the first period after a tie-up with Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan, per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis.
Suniev has been one of the early bright spots for Calgary, putting up three goals and four points through his first seven games, which is likely his NHL rookie season. If he has to miss time, the Flames would have a gap next to Morgan Frost and Sharangovich. That could open the door for more ice time for Matvei Gridin, who scored two goals Monday.
Elsewhere, Ottawa Senators captain Thomas Chabot is close to getting back in the lineup, according to Bruce Garrioch of Ottawa Citizen. Chabot was back at full practice Monday and could be available for Ottawa’s upcoming five-game road trip.
If Chabot returns, Ottawa would finally have its blue line at full strength for the first time this season, with Chabot, Jake Sanderson, and Artem Zub healthy at the same time. Before his injury, Chabot had four points in nine games.
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