Toronto Maple Leafs Nikita Grebyonkin opens up about his struggles while playing through injuries in the KHL

The Toronto Maple Leafs this summer signed prospect Nikita Grebyonkin to a contract and he is expected to join the team for training camp. In the lead-up to his first year in North America, he has done an interview reflecting on his time in the KHL with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

During the interview, Nikita Grebyonkin spoke about the myriad of injuries he faced last season. He also admitted that he and many other players were playing on high doses of painkillers throughout the KHL playoffs.

While this is sadly nothing new in professional hockey it is a shocking reminder of the drastic things these athletes put themselves through to compete at the highest level. During the KHL regular season, Nikita Grebyonkin was outstanding with 41 points in 67 games. However, in the playoffs, his play fell off dramatically to just 6 points in 23 games.

Despite his struggles in the KHL playoffs the Toronto Maple Leafs decided to sign Nikita Grebyonkin and bring him to North America. Now it is decision time for Craig Berube and his staff. They will need to evaluate whether Nikita Grebyonkin is ready for NHL action or if an AHL stint could be better for his development.

If Nikita Grebyonkin is healthy it wouldn't be surprising for him to push his way on to the NHL roster. However, the Maple Leafs have been hesitant to play young players high in the lineup in previous years it will be fun to see if Nikita Grebyonkin can break this mold.