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Nikita Scherbak is injured following a devastating hit by Viktor Loov

Nikita Scherbak, the Montreal Canadiens‘ 2014 first-round pick, is having a difficult rookie campaign. The skilled forward returned from a foot injury on Friday night against the Toronto Marlies after missing six games, only to be rocked by a solid open-ice hit in the first period which knocked him out of the game.

Scherbak tried to dangle his way past Toronto defenceman Viktor Loov, he kept his head down a little, and Loov caught him clean and hard:

Credit to theleafsnation for the gif.

Shcherbak would take a few more shifts in the game, but would ultimately leave with an undisclosed injury. Early prognosis from IceCaps Head Coach Sylvain Lefebvre is that Scherbak is expected to be out “for quite a while.”

This must be considered a disappointment for the organization, as they were hoping that Scherbak would develop quickly in the AHL. Now they must start being concerned about the frequency of his injuries and what impact they will have on his career moving forward.

Scherbak has only played nine games this season, registering one goal and two assists, while mainly playing on the third line with Gabriel Dumont and Jacob de la Rose.

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