Toronto Maple Leafs winger Kirill Marchenko issued a statement after spending three weeks with the Maple Leafs.
Toronto traded Matthew Knies as part of a multi-player package involving Marchenko the day before the start of the NHL season.
Now that Marchenko has gotten his feet wet with the Maple Leafs, he is nothing but thrilled to be part of Leafs Nation.
Kirill Marchenko Sends Message to Fans
Taking to his social media, Marchenko sent a message to his fans after spending his first three weeks with his new team.
“The craziest three weeks of my life! So happy to be here,” Marchenko wrote on his Instagram.
Kirill Marchenko Has Been a Standout for Toronto
When the Maple Leafs sent Knies away to the Blue Jackets for Marchenko, many fans were upset because they loved Knies and maybe didn’t know much about Marchenko, since he had played his entire NHL career up to that point in the small market of Columbus.
But so far, Marchenko has shown Maple Leafs fans why general manager John Chayka was willing to give up on Knies to bring Marchenko into the Maple Leafs’ lineup.
In his first 11 games in Toronto, Marchenko has scored five goals and 11 points, giving him a point-per-game pace this season, while also having a hat trick at home that saw the fans at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto shower the ice with their hats, a memorable moment to be sure for the 26-year-old winger.
The other thing is that the Maple Leafs are at least in a spot this year where they are going to fight to make a playoff spot, while it appears that the Blue Jackets will be in the basement of the Eastern Conference this year based on their early play so far this season.
Blue Jackets fans are still not happy that Marchenko wanted out of Columbus, but Marchenko is clearly happy to move on and play in Toronto, which is one of the biggest markets in the world when it comes to hockey, and has quickly taken a liking to the star Russian sniper and his talents.
Kirill Marchenko Issues Statement After 3 Weeks With Maple Leafs