Kirill Marchenko got revenge on his former team on Tuesday and broke his silence after things got really ugly with his old teammates.
Booed every time he touched the puck, Kirill Marchenko was public enemy number one in Columbus on Tuesday night. Traded for Matthew Knies the day before the season started, his disgruntled nature and lack of a desire to play for the Blue Jackets earned him a lot of flak.
Thriving now in Toronto, Marchenko had the first chance to play against his former team last night and got the last laugh as Toronto skated away with a 6-2 win - with Marchenko opening the scoring on the night.
Kirill Marchenko gets to leave Columbus knowing he fired the first shot
But he understood the assignment and played hard against his former team, and he knows they were out for a bit of revenge to prove they were better off without him.
Though post-game, Marchenko managed to take the high road - and admit he didn't mind taking some punishment if it meant getting a win:
Fantilli hit a couple of guys, but it's fine. It's not a surprise, but it was a good hit. Maybe next time, I'll get up quicker or shoot quicker. I can take so many hits if we win the game and get two points. It's so nice.
-
Well if that's the case, then Marchenko is going to be absorbing a lot of hits over the next six years after he signed a huge extension with the Maple Leads upon arriving in Toronto. But his arrival has been stellar.
Marchenko's motivation to leave Columbus on full display Tuesday night
He has five goals and 11 points in 11 games, is helping to drive the offense in the top six, and already has a hat trick this season despite having fairly limited time to get acclimated. He's barely been here but he's made a huge difference.
Knies on the other hand didn't have the best night for Columbus, as he certainly had his chances but was held pointless yet again, and that stretches his scoreless streak to six games. If you had to ask fans now, who won the trade, undoubtedly Toronto did in the short-term.
Columbus seemed hellbent on revenge all night, and the fans were extremely hostile towards Marchenko every time he touched the puck. The fans may not have had a huge part in the outcome but the Blue Jackets' disjointed nature could have been because the focus wasn't on winning but setting an example.
But for the Maple Leafs and Marchenko, they will gladly take a vengeful team willing to sacrifice a win for the sake of getting their due justice. Toronto was dominating all night once Jake McCabe went down, and their motivation was a lot bigger than just bragging rights.
Columbus needed to win this game to show Marchenko that he should have wanted to stay. Instead, he got to be part of a fantastic team effort as a key part of the Maple Leafs. The Blue Jackets better get used to it because it feels like he's about to terrorize them for years to come.
Do you think Kirill Marchenko was trying to get revenge on the Columbus Blue Jackets?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Elliotte Friedman suggests Erik Karlsson is going to the Maple Leafs