2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Maple Leafs Nikita Zaitsev out for Game 1

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without top pairing defenseman Nikita Zaitsev for Game 1 of their series against the Washington Capitals. 

Going into their first round series against the Washington Capitals, the Toronto Maple Leafs already had a disadvantage defensively. It’s just gotten bigger, as rookie defenseman Nikita Zaitsev will miss Game 1 due to an upper body injury. He is suspected to have a concussion after a hard hit from Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno, but Leafs head coach Mike Babcock didn’t confirm it.

"“The great thing about this medical department is I don’t deal with that part,” said Babcock, via NHL on NBC. “They just tell me he’s not available to go. He’s got an upper-body injury.”"

Without him, it appears the Leafs will use Martin Marincin instead. Since Zaitsev usually plays alongside Morgan Rielly, Toronto’s defense will look a bit different on Thursday.

On one hand, at least the at times abysmal pairing of Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak has been broken up. But it also forces both defensemen to take on more minutes than they usually do. In 82 games this season, Zaitsev has 36 points (four goals and 32 assists). The former KHL defenseman averages over 22 minutes of ice time per game and has 12 power play points.

Losing him is huge for the Maple Leafs. They don’t have very good blue line depth to begin with. Without him, their defense looks a lot worse than it did going into the series. On the other side of the ice, the Washington Capitals will likely be getting John Carlson back, giving them one of the best defensive cores in the NHL.

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It’s not all bad news in Toronto though. Goaltender Frederik Andersen will return for Game 1. But Zaitsev won’t be, which means he could be in for a long night.