The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't exactly been hit with amazing news over the last couple of days. Star forward Auston Matthews is expected to miss the first three games at a minimum while forward Ilya Mikheyev is going to miss a minimum of 8 weeks. To top it off, forward Mitch Marner was hurt in practice yesterday and while he's expected to be ready for tonight's opener it definitely doesn't make the situation better. Now when depth is needed most, it seems they might lose a piece during the season. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports that forward Kirill Semyonov who signed in the offseason has a European Assignment clause in his contract and is ready to use it. If Semyonov doesn't get any NHL action during the season he's more than willing to leave as soon as possible. The 26 year old registered 26 points in 60 games last year for Omsk Avangard of the KHL and could be a key depth piece down the line. Friedman adds that the Leafs really like Semyonov so it's expected he'll get a shot at some point, but how long is he willing to wait is the question.
