Toronto Maple Leafs: Zach Hyman injury an unfortunate setback

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Zach Hyman would be of action for three weeks or more with an ankle sprain which is unfortunate considering how he was injured.

Following the Toronto Maple Leafs victory over the Florida Panthers, it was announced that Zach Hyman‘s injury was more serious than previously thought.

The team confirmed that the forward would miss at least three weeks with an ankle sprain. The injury occurred in Tuesday’s win over the New Jersey Devils when he went into the corner against defenceman Andy Greene as Elliotte Friedman pointed out during the broadcast.

It didn’t seem like Hyman hurt himself on the play but when you rewatch the play you can see why it was possible. Both players were racing into the corner and Greene tries to gain leverage as they go for the puck and as the video shows, the defenceman dangerously sweeps his leg under Hyman.

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Those are the types of plays that can lead to serious injury especially when players are chasing for pucks at high speed and the one being taken down is unaware. In this case, Hyman can’t prepare for the collision against the boards as his skate blades bounce off and the force compresses in his ankle.

An injury like this is not going to be an easy recovery for the 26-year-old as he won’t be spending a lot of time on the ice. It is rather unfortunate considering he was on pace to score 17 goals which would have been a career high.

Say what you want about Hyman’s role as a top-six forward on the team, he manages to compliment John Tavares and Mitch Marner to the point where they are still effective elite scorers.

Now the Leafs get a chance to see how another player can produce in Hyman’s spot whether it’s Connor Brown, Andreas Johnsson or possibly Patrick Marleau. While Leafs Where Hyman’s impact in the lineup will be missed the most is on the penalty kill which has had its struggles lately even with Hyman in the lineup.

What do you think about the injury to Hyman?  Will his absence be an issue long-term? Let us know in the comments below.