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From happy-go-lucky to missing a few golden goal opportunities, there was more of a forced smile from Kirill Marchenko on Thursday morning when his first two weeks as a Maple Leaf were brought up.
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“Good question, I feel fine, but know I can play better for sure,” the Russian winger said. “It’s tough for me to explain, it (might) take hours. I have to focus on small details — everywhere a little bit.”
On paper, he’s on a five-game points streak, mostly assists, with just six shots on goal during the club’s Western trip (1-1-1), in which he mis-timed the potential tying goal at the buzzer in Utah with an empty net.
“It was a great pass from William (Nylander), but it bounced,” Marchenko lamented. “But today I think about playing Buffalo (and not) what happened in the past. It stays there.”
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For all the attention heaped on Marchenko after the late-training-camp trade with Columbus for Matthew Knies and the Leafs immediately elevating him to the first line with centre Auston Matthews, coach Jim Hiller has given indications of a shuffle.
Marchenko could see time with centre John Tavares as Hiller takes full advantage of Nylander, a right winger who is truly hot and well-versed with Matthews.
“I’m so excited to play with both (centres), it doesn’t matter,” Marchenko insisted ahead of the Buffalo game. “Two unbelievable guys who support me. I’d just like to find some chemistry together and do our best. Our first goal is win the games, with John or Matts.”
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How can the Leafs and Marchenko find a balance?
Hiller continues to balance pushing Marchenko versus letting him organically adjust to the Leafs. While every point in the standings is vital in October, there’s no rush to judgement with Marchenko, given his six-year $75-million US contract that marked his arrival.
“It’s a little bit of the art of coaching,” Hiller said. “Sometimes you hope you get it right and sometimes you don’t.
“You just try and get a feel for the person, make sure they’re getting the support they need and at the same time, how they can get better. Everyone has a different way. You can’t overwhelm the player, you just have to find the sweet spot.
“He cares deeply about his game, about being a good teammate. I’m trying not to put much pressure on him because he’s putting a lot on himself. He’s used to being a little more dangerous (versus one cog of a potent offence) and maybe that’s what he’s putting on himself. We just want him to be a good all-around player. We know he’s skilled, that he’s going to score and create chances. We just want him to be comfortable, like he understands the system.”
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Thursday was to be Marchenko’s 300th NHL game, with 214 points so far for the second-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2018. No other player from that round has as many to date.
“It’s been a good time,” Marchenko said of his NHL journey, “but I hope it will be better.”
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