Gavin McKenna has known for quite some time his NHL debut would come Tuesday night. Kirill Marchenko wasn’t even a member of the Maple Leafs at the start of the week.
The pair were among 10 players to suit up with Toronto for the first time in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens as the NHL regular season opened for both teams.
McKenna was selected first overall at June’s draft after the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time in decade before beating the lottery odds, while Marchenko was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a blockbuster trade just over 24 hours prior to puck drop that saw Matthew Knies head the other way.
“It’s pretty hard to forget a day like this,” said McKenna, an 18-year-old winger from Whitehorse. “Getting to have that rookie lap, seeing my family on the glass in warm-ups, hearing your name called in player intros — it’s all pretty special.”
Marchenko had a much shorter runway to prepare, and only learned around lunchtime he would be able to suit up after his immigration paperwork was completed.
“It’s crazy,” said the 26-year-old Russian winger, who signed a six-year contract extension worth US$75 million with Toronto. “We packed, we moved with my wife … really busy. But I’m happy it’s done and I’m happy to be here. I hate that we lost, but it’s still a great memory.”
“Dream for everybody being with the Toronto Maple Leafs,” he added. “But it’s happened quick.”
McKenna had a few nice moments, but also had some turnovers he wanted back before finishing a minus-2 with one shot on goal in 15 minutes 19 seconds of action.
“The first exhibition game, he talked to (the media) and said, ‘Ya, it was just an OK night, I’ll learn from it,’” Toronto head coach Jim Hiller said. “He came back and had a really strong game. It’s up another level again. You just keep taking the test, and he’ll be back. I thought he was all right. But he’ll probably want to be better.”
Marchenko was fired out of a cannon in his debut with eight shot attempts, including four on target, in just over 20 minutes of ice time.
He picked up an assist on William Nylander’s opener 48 seconds into the first period and had a couple of great chances on Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes.
“A big boy, can make plays, shoots it,” said Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews, who centred a line with Marchenko and Jack Roslovic. “I thought for what he had to endure the last 24 hours — getting traded, flying here last night, getting here today, new everything, getting a visa, all that stuff — we had some really good opportunities.”
Hiller said it will take some time for the roster to find cohesion with so many new faces, including defenceman Darren Raddysh and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, following a truncated training camp and pre-season.
“We looked a little bit like a new team,” said the coach. “We just weren’t connecting with our passes. I don’t know if that has anything to do with nerves or being in the building for the first time, and the first time everybody together.
“We just weren’t clean as a team.”
McKenna, Marchenko and the rest of the Maple Leafs will get another chance Wednesday when they host the New York Islanders.
“It’s pretty special,” McKenna said of his debut. “There’s not much I’ll forget about this day.”
Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka was asked Tuesday morning about his expectations for the club after acquiring Marchenko.
“It’s unchanged … our expectations are always high,” Chayka said. “We’re the Toronto Maple Leafs and ownership’s spared no expense to try to put the best product on the on the ice and support the guys and give us every resource to be successful.
“We think Kirill could be a big part of that. But we felt like we had a good group going in.”
Toronto would have normally paid tribute to Cliff Fletcher following his death in June at age 90, but the former executive’s family was unable to attend Tuesday’s opener.
The Maple Leafs will honour Fletcher, whose first tenure included the franchise-altering trade for Doug Gilmour in 1992, on Oct. 15 when the club hosts the Buffalo Sabres.
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