Kirill Marchenko Receives a (Fairly) Ordinary Welcome in Toronto

Félix Forget
Kirill Marchenko Receives a (Fairly) Ordinary Welcome in Toronto
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

Over the past few minutes, the Maple Leafs introduced their 2026–27 roster to the crowd. It's a classic preseason tradition that lets the crowd show their support for the organization's players.

And of course, we were wondering how certain players would be received. Kirill Marchenko, acquired with great fanfare just over 24 hours ago, was one of them.

He was acquired at a high cost (both in terms of the trade and his new contract).

Except that Marchenko, when introduced to the crowd, received a… rather ordinary reception. There was some love shown his way, but it was still pretty subdued.

At least, subdued for a big-name player acquired just yesterday.

It's worth noting that the crowd showed a bit more love to guys like Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and William Nylander. Gavin McKenna, playing his first-ever NHL game, also received a warmer welcome.

It makes sense that these guys would get some love, of course… but you'd think Marchenko would have received a similar reception.

It's safe to say that if Marchenko dominates on the ice, he'll get his share of cheers from the crowd over the next few years. But considering he's the newcomer in town, you'd think the crowd would have shown a little more enthusiasm.

The Bell Centre would probably—ah, never mind.


Overtime

It's worth noting, however, that Marchenko didn't take long to make his mark once the game started: he picked up an assist in the very first minute of the game.

It was William Nylander who opened the scoring with a shot that left Jakub Dobes with no chance.

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