‘A really, really gifted player’: Kirill Marchenko wows teammates in Leaf debut

Sep 30, 2026, 1:54 PM ET|Comments (0)

from Daily Faceoff (Frank Seravalli),

Kirill Marchenko was feeling a million different things off the ice. And it didn’t show at all on the ice.

He stepped out to greet reporters for the first time as a Toronto Maple Leaf Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena after his new team dropped its 2026-27 home opener 3-2 to the Montreal Canadiens , and he was justifiably overwhelmed. He immediately noted the size of the media contingent, a night-and-day change from the Columbus Blue Jackets experience. He took his first opportunity to thank his now-former organization for the four seasons he spent there. He admitted he was nervous. He apologized repeatedly for what he felt was insufficient English. He explained that he was running on three hours’ sleep.

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