Kirill Marchenko told a group of Toronto Maple Leafs fans at the Calgary airport Tuesday that he'll be back in two weeks.
He also told them he was “flying back home today,” according to Leafslatest.
Leafslatest noted there's no official word from the team yet, with more information expected Wednesday.
The photo making the rounds shows him standing with three fans in the terminal, a backpack slung over his shoulder.
Getting an injury timeline from fans at an airport is like hearing about your raise from the guy who empties the office recycling. It might be right, but you want it in writing.
He left Monday's 5-2 loss in Calgary after just 7:05 of ice time and is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
If two weeks holds, Toronto dodged one. The replay had plenty of people bracing for a lot worse.
A group of Leafs fans bumped into Kirill Marchenko at the Calgary airport today, where he told them he was “flying back home today” and will be back in “two weeks.”
As of now, no official confirmation has been made by the Leafs (should know more tomorrow)
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Kirill Marchenko's airport encounter with Leafs fans brings an unexpected injury update
Marchenko leads the Leafs with 4 power-play goals.
Eight of his 14 points have come with the man advantage.
He also has 6 goals, tied with Easton Cowan for third on the team, all on a $3,850,000 cap hit.
So who picks up that slack in the meantime?
Auston Matthews and William Nylander have 3 power-play goals apiece.
Both of them have 7 points over their last 5 games, too.
With John Tavares sidelined, nobody else healthy on the roster has more than one power-play goal.
Taken literally, two weeks from Tuesday lands on November 10, when Colorado visits Toronto.
That window would cover Seattle, Vancouver, Utah, Montreal and New Jersey.
Tavares is out until at least November 27, while Chris Tanev and Marshall Rifai are out until at least October 31.
The Leafs are 7-5-2 and third in the Atlantic, three points back of Boston.
Seattle is up first on Wednesday, with the Kraken sitting at 7-4-1 after a 5-1 home loss to Minnesota.
Until the Leafs say otherwise, the most detailed update on one of their best finishers came from a Calgary departure gate.
Can the Leafs power play survive two weeks without Kirill Marchenko?
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