The Toronto Maple Leafs' injury list may be getting longer ahead of Wednesday's matchup with the Seattle Kraken as star winger Kirill Marchenko was listed as day-to-day with an apparent lower-body injury, rumored to be his left knee.
He fell awkwardly on Monday after a check from Calgary Flames forward Yegor Sharangovich, bending his left leg and leaving him favoring the knee. Marchenko joins a list that now includes three forwards and two defensemen, and other Leafs will need to step up.
Seattle has been solid this season, sitting at 7-4-1 behind a surprisingly strong offense that is scoring 3.58 goals per game, seventh in the league. Toronto has been just as productive, sitting inside the top five at 3.71 goals per game. Losing a point-per-game player like Marchenko could hurt, and one player who will be needed in a big way is newcomer Nick Paul.
Paul has been Toronto's second-line center while John Tavares is sidelined, but it hasn't gone well offensively. Since Tavares went down on Oct. 15, Paul has one goal and no assists in six games, despite a bigger top-six role and time with offensive talents like William Nylander.
Nick Paul is long overdue for a big game
According to MoneyPuck, the line of Paul, Marchenko and Nylander has combined for just one goal in the seven games it has played together, so a breakthrough feels overdue and Wednesday's matchup could be the spot for it.
Paul has three goals and no assists in his last seven games against the Kraken, and it's also a good matchup for his linemate in Nylander, who has three goals and eight assists for 11 points in nine career games versus Seattle. Paul enters on a four-game point drought and is due for a big night.
The 31-year-old Mississauga native has been a solid 40- to 45-point player in two of his last three seasons, with injuries limiting him in his final season with Tampa Bay. So far this year he is trailing those marks, with two goals and three assists for five points in 14 games, a pace closer to 30 points and Toronto is hoping to get him going.
It would also help the Leafs as a whole as they are coming off a loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday that snapped a four-game win streak and are looking to get back in the win column. Toronto dominated Seattle early in the series, winning seven of the first eight all-time meetings, but the Kraken have caught up, winning the last two against the Maple Leafs.
If Toronto wants to rebound, it will need big performances from players who aren't its mainstay stars, like Paul.
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