Kirill Marchenko has been shuffled all over and given no real consistency. Coming off a hat trick, Jim Hiller's mismanagement of him is now a serious concern.
Toronto's 4-1 loss to the Islanders on Saturday sucked any momentum the team may have had. It was a rough showing that came with some unfortunate history being made by Sergei Bobrovsky. Dominated all night, only a Colton Sissons goal prevented Ilya Sorokin from a shutout.
You can definitely point the finger at certain players, such as Auston Matthews and William Nylander who combined for two shots, but the staunch and tough Islanders defense did a darn good job at preventing any dangerous chances - so credit goes to them.
Hiller's Marchenko management is questionable at best
But credit can't be given to the man running the Maple Leafs bench, Jim Hiller. Coming off a tough loss to the Sabres in OT, Hiller had to bring in a lineup that came out swinging and didn't let up though clearly didn't.
And one glaring issue is starting to emerge and it's not a positive sign going forward:
-
Hiller's management of Kirill Marchenko since his arrival in Toronto has been average at best, but given he didn't have a ton of time to figure out where he should go - it was a forced quick decision.
But we are a few weeks into the season and Hiller is somehow playing Marchenko - a guy coming off a hat trick mind you - less than defensive stalwarts like Sissons and Teddy Blueger. Playing Marchenko under 12 minutes in a game where they played over 50 at 5v5 is inexcusable from a head coach especially after his performance against Buffalo.
He was a minus on the night but that came due to him being on the ice as the Islanders scored an empty-net goal, not necessarily a slight on his defense in game well out of hand at that point.
Marchenko earned the chance to be one of Hiller's top weapons
Why Hiller decided against playing Marchenko more is for him to know and us to question, but let's just hope it's not a McKenna situation where he simply lost track of the 6-foot-3, 200+ pound Russian.
How you miss him on the ice or on the bench is anyone's guess, and Marchenko has earned the right to play some of the most minutes a night. He consistently drives things offensively, plays hard every shift, is more than adequate defensively, and likes to hit - he's doing it all.
Marchenko has nine points in nine games, 25 shots, 12 hits and four power play points already this season, but has averaged less TOI than he has since the 2023-24 season. He's too dangerous to keep off the ice, and has been one of Toronto's best players.
If Hiller doesn't figure out what he has in front of him, then maybe he shouldn't be running things. The McKenna mistake was strike one, and now Marchenko's time management is strike two.
One more issue then it might be time to have a conversation about if the Maple Leafs struck out with Jim Hiller.
Has Jim Hiller mismanaged Kirill Marchenko in the Maple Leafs lineup?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Maple Leafs acquire John Tavares replacement from the Canadiens in unexpected trade proposal