The Toronto Maple Leafs waited until the last minute to pull off their blockbuster trade for Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
But waiting until Monday evening, when their season starts on Tuesday, could cost the Leafs a chance to have Marchenko playing for them when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
As of Tuesday morning, it appears to be a situation that’s still hanging in the balance.
There’s also the factor that even if Marchenko plays, he’ll be brand new to his teammates and coaches. It likely would be a bit of an adjustment just on the ice.
But there’s more of a holdup than that, too.
Is Kirill Marchenko Playing Tonight?
Marchenko’s playing status for Tuesday night has yet to be determined.
It turns out that it’s taking just a little while to get his visa all set up for the move from being an employee in Columbus to being one in Toronto.
This is what The Athletic’s Chris Johnston posted on Tuesday morning:
It’s still unclear if Kirill Marchenko will be available for the #leafs in tonight’s season opener against Montreal. He still needs to complete the work visa process.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) September 29, 2026
It’s obviously a long season ahead, so even if Marchenko isn’t ready for the season opener, he should have plenty of chance to positively impact the Maple Leafs.
It’d be just a bit of a bummer if the shiny new addition was unable to take part in Toronto’s first game in front of what should be a rocking home crowd.
What to Know About Kirill Marchenko
Marchenko is a 26-year old winger originally from Russia.
He stands 6-foot-3 and about 200 pounds and has played his entire NHL career with the Blue Jackets.
He’s also one of the fastest skaters in the entire NHL.
Marchenko was drafted by Columbus at No. 49 overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.
He didn’t leave Russia quite yet, though. He debuted in the Kontinental Hockey League with HC Yugra. After that, he went to play four seasons for powerhouse SKA Saint Petersburg.
Marchenko came to North America for the 2021-22 season. The Blue Jackets started him down at the AHL level with the Cleveland Monsters — but after he had 19 points in his first 16 games, Columbus brought him to the show, and he was quickly scoring goals.
He actually got his first 13 NHL points on goals before recording his first assist in February 2023 against the Maple Leafs.
Marchenko had his career-best season in 2024-25 with 74 points in 79 games — 31 goals and 43 assists.
Then Marchenko followed that up with 67 points in 76 games in 2025-26, which included 27 goals and 40 assists.
He’s been a power play weapon throughout his career, with 24 goals on the man-up in his four seasons with Columbus.
Marchenko also has 17 power play assists apiece in each of the last two seasons.
The lanky Marchenko also had a combined 116 hits over the past two years.
The Maple Leafs will see if giving up Matthew Knies to get Marchenko was the right call, but it certainly was a big swing, and they’d love to get Marchenko on the ice sooner rather than later.
Maple Leafs, Kirill Marchenko Face Visa Problem for Playing Tonight