The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without a player who has proven himself to be tremendously valuable to the organization this season.
According to a breaking news report from ESPN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock has confirmed that 25-year-old defenseman Nikita Zaitsev will not suit up for Game 1 of the playoffs.
Zaitsev's status was in doubt for the game after he missed several consecutive practices leading up to tonight's game, but many were holding out hope that the young defender would be ready to go come game time.
Zaitsev has been a major contributor for Toronto this season, so much so in fact that there are very solid rumors suggesting that there is a big 7-year-contract waiting for him at the end of the season. There's no avoiding the fact that this is a huge blow to the Leafs who are facing an extremely tough Capitals squad.
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