Maple Leafs Season Opener Shines Light on Kirill Marchenko

Kirill Marchenko Is The Real Deal

The best player on the ice for Toronto in Game 1 was newly acquired winger Kirill Marchenko, whom the Maple Leafs picked up from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a trade the day before the season began.

Marchenko took a flight overnight to Toronto, had to work on getting his work visa to play in Canada, and then took the ice with very limited reps with his new teammates.

But despite all of that going against him, the 26-year-old Russian was arguably Toronto’s best player against Montreal, as he picked up an assist in the first minute of the game on a William Nylander goal, while also recording four shots on net and generally looking dangerous the entire game.

When he actually gets the chance to practice with his new linemates, Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic, Marchenko is going to be even better and could hit 40 goals this season for Toronto.

Speaking of Nylander, he was excellent too, potting both of Toronto’s goals as he looked to improve on what was a down year for him last season.

I also liked new Maple Leafs depth forward Brandon Duhaime, who had four hits and played like the pest that the team hoped he would be when they signed him as a free agent this offseason.

Additionally, Easton Cowan, John Tavares, and Colton Sissons also had solid games for Toronto.

Darren Raddysh Really Struggled

One player who really struggled for the Maple Leafs was new defenseman Darren Raddysh, acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning during the offseason and extended on an eight-year, $84 million deal.

In his first game with his childhood favorite, the Maple Leafs, Raddysh really struggled, as he was -2 on the ice and had a game-high five giveaways.

It’s only Game 1 out of 84, but Raddysh is going to need to be a lot better than what he showed in the first game of the season, or else the Maple Leafs might regret giving him a huge contract sooner than anyone thought.

First-overall pick Gavin McKenna also struggled in his NHL debut, as he didn’t get many scoring opportunities and was on the ice for two goals against.

He admitted after the game that he has to play better, and given his pedigree, I’m inclined to believe he will bounce back in Game 2 against the Islanders.

I’m not worried about McKenna at all.

I also think goalie Sergei Bobrovsky needs to be better, as he allowed three goals on 24 shots to Montreal.

If Toronto is going to win the Stanley Cup this year, they need Bobrovsky to stand on his head more times than not, and while he was OK in Game 1, he wasn’t good enough to steal the win for the Maple Leafs.

There is a ton of time left in the season, and the Maple Leafs have the potential to be a decent team this year.

But Game 1 was a mixed bag, and Maple Leafs fans can only hope that the players can start to form some familiarity with each other quickly.