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The Toronto Maple Leafs' injury woes deepened on Monday night when star winger Kirill Marchenko left the game against the Calgary Flames with a lower-body injury, the team announced. The incident occurred early in the second period of what became a 5-2 loss.
Marchenko was involved in an awkward collision with Calgary forward Yegor Sharangovich as he entered the offensive zone. He was knocked to the ice and appeared to have his left leg trapped underneath him before falling into the boards. The 26-year-old managed one more shift in the second period, lasting just 14 seconds, before heading to the dressing room and being ruled out for the remainder of the contest before the third period began.
In his brief outing, the Barnaul, Russia native recorded one shot on goal in 7:55 of ice time. He had been enjoying a productive start to his Leafs tenure, registering six goals and 14 points in his first 14 games, which ranks third on the team behind only Auston Matthews and William Nylander. He entered Monday's game on a four-game point streak.
Marchenko was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on the eve of the 2026-27 season as part of a seven-piece trade and subsequently signed a six-year, $75 million extension with Toronto that begins next season. His absence would be a significant blow to a team already missing John Tavares, Max Domi, Dakota Joshua, and Chris Tanev.
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Head coach Jim Hiller did not downplay the situation after the game. "I don't have the full update, but couldn't come back and finish the game, so that's never a good sign," Hiller told reporters, including TSN's Mark Masters. The Leafs will anxiously await further evaluation, hoping the injury is short-term.
If Marchenko is forced to miss time, first-overall pick Gavin McKenna would likely be the top candidate to move back into the top six. The rookie has eight points in his first 14 NHL games. Toronto continues its four-game West Coast road trip against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night.
Originally reported by yahoo.