Former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Andrew Raycroft said Kirill Marchenko came to the Columbus Blue Jackets camp out of shape.
Earlier today, Kirill Marchenko was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in a six-team trade that sent shockwaves around the National Hockey League.
It was a move that very few saw coming. However, on NHL Radio, former Leaf Andrew Raycroft made a bold claim about Marchenko and his fitness.
Andrew Raycroft just said on NHL Radio that Kirill Marchenko is one that showed up to camp out of shape.
-
These comments caught the eye of Marchenko's agent Dan Milstein, who was active on social media on Monday as he made some quips about his client's predicament.
Dan Milstein defends his client
As you can see, Milstein was not particularly kind to Raycroft in the aftermath of his comment. He assured fans that Marchenko's conditioning is just fine. Moreover, he said that Raycroft was irrelevant.
Kirill's conditioning has NEVER been a topic. Andrew's relevance, on the other hand...
-
These are the kind of comments that you don't expect from an agent. Of course, years ago, Allan Walsh got into it with the Las Vegas Golden Knights after their treatment of Marc-Andre Fleury.
Ultimately, Milstein is just trying to protect the man who helps pay some of his bills. A good agent is going to engage in this kind of thing.
Besides, Milstein's comments should be a breath of fresh air for Maple Leafs fans, as it is proof that Marchenko is, in fact, in shape and ready to play.
Whether or not Marchenko plays in tomorrow night's season opener against the Montreal Canadiens, still remains to be seen.
Do you believe Kirill Marchenko's agent is out of line?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Toronto Maple Leafs officially unveil their 23-man roster for the 2026-27 season