Newly acquired Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kirill Marchenko may not be in the lineup tonight against the Montreal Canadiens due to an issue getting a VISA.
Kirill Marchenko was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday evening in a package that involved Matthew Knies, Steven Lorenz, Emil Andrae, Miles Wood, and Elvis Merzlikins.
It was a wild move that no one really saw coming until the afternoon when Elliotte Friedman first broke the news that deep conversations were being had.
Tonight, the Toronto Maple Leafs are playing the Montreal Canadiens in their season opener, and there has been speculation about whether or not Marchenko would be in the lineup.
According to Chris Johnston of The Athletic, that information is still unknown. Marchenko has yet to receive his work VISA for Canada, which means he cannot play until this is figured out.
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This situation has happened before. Acquiring a work VISA doesn't happen overnight. There is paperwork that needs to be filled out, and an approval process to follow.
While Marchenko shouldn't have any issues getting his VISA eventually, it isn't surprising that he's cutting it extremely close for tonight's game.
Where does Marchenko fit in the lineup?
With Matthew Knies gone, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in need of a left-winger to put next to Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic on the first line.
That said, it stands to reason that if Marchenko gets into the lineup, he will be on the first line. The second line is already guaranteed to be Gavin McKenna, John Tavares, and William Nylander.
It is one of the biggest nights of the year in the National Hockey League, and this Marchenko news certainly puts an interesting wrinkle into all of it.
Later today, we will be getting more news concerning Marchenko and whether or not he actually gets into the lineup.
Do you believe Kirill Marchenko will be in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup tonight?
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