Leafs receive exciting news regarding prospect Nikita Grebyonkin
Nikita Grebyonkin's Metallurg Magnitogorsk were crowned as KHL champions and now he has his sights set on making an impact in the NHL.
Metallurg Magnitogorsk were crowned as KHL champions after capturing the Gagarin Cup with a sweep in the finals against Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nikita Grebyonkin played a pivotal role with 19 goals and 41 points in the regular season before adding 3 goals and 6 points in 23 games in the playoffs.
The 20-year-old was drafted in the 5th round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and has done admirably for a player of his age. Generally speaking, the KHL isn't the best for development as they tend to focus more on their veterans than they do with their youngsters, but Grebyonkin scored 26 points in 45 games during his rookie season for Khabarovsk Amur in 2022-23 before his big season for Magnitogorsk this year.
It is expected that Grebyonkin will leave the KHL and make his way to North America at the NHL-level. Translated from Alexey Shevchenko's article on the Sport Express, the hope is that "he might even be able to play for Toronto, who drafted him, in the current Stanley Cup if the club advances to the next round of the playoffs."
It was also reported after they had won the championship that the 20-year-old was playing through the Gagarin Cup Finals with an injury and was barely even able to walk, which might explain his low point totals compared to his regular season numbers.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 25 | 265 ANSWERS Leafs receive exciting news regarding prospect Nikita Grebyonkin Can Nikita Grebyonkin crack the post-season roster if the Leafs make it past the Bruins and he makes it to North America in time? | ||
| No, too young and inexperienced | 114 | 43 % |
| Yes, only if the Leafs are hammered with injuries | 103 | 38.9 % |
| I wouldn't mess around with the playoff lineup | 48 | 18.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
