Maple Leafs Injury Update: Phil Kessel leaves practice, questionable for season opener

Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Phil Kessel left practice on Saturday, after having also missed the team's last preseason game on Friday, with a lower-body injury, as reported on TSN. His status at the moment is unknown, and it's not entirely clear what the injury is.

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"He came out and tried it and didn't feel it was 100 per cent," head coach Randy Carlyle said on Saturday. On Friday, Carlyle said that "he has a sore body part".

Should Kessel be forced to miss some games, it would be a major blow to the start of the Leafs' season. The explosive winger scored 37 goals and added 43 assists last season. He averaged over 20 minutes per game and saw a lot of time on the powerplay.

Kessel also has an iron-man streak on the line. He has not missed a game during the last four regular seasons. 

The Maple Leafs drop the puck on the new NHL season on October 8 when they host the Montreal Canadiens, and they may have to look to some of their young stars who stood out during training camp. Tyler Bozak, Cody Franson, and Josh Leivo also missed Saturday's practice.

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