The Toronto Maple Leafs just became a tougher team for the Ottawa Senators to deal with after acquiring Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets yesterday ahead of the opening night roster deadline.
Toronto already had plenty of offensive talent heading into the season, but adding Marchenko gives the Maple Leafs another forward who can score and create chances. That is going to make things even more difficult for teams trying to slow them down, including the Senators.
Marchenko gives Toronto another player who can play in the top six and take some pressure off the team's other forwards. Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares and Matthew Knies were already going to be a lot for opposing teams to handle, and now Marchenko can be added into that mix.
Ottawa will have a tougher matchup against the Maple Leafs
For Ottawa, that matters quite a bit. The Senators are going to see the Maple Leafs multiple times this season, and these games have already been difficult matchups. Adding another talented forward doesn't exactly make them any easier. Marchenko also gives Toronto another option when it comes to putting its lines together. He doesn't necessarily have to play on the same line every night, and that can make it harder for Ottawa to focus on shutting down one specific group.
The Senators are going to have to deal with whichever line Marchenko ends up playing on, but they also can't ignore the other players Toronto has. If Marchenko is playing well, that creates another problem for Ottawa to deal with instead of allowing the team to put all of its attention on Matthews or Nylander. At the same time, this isn't to say the Maple Leafs suddenly have an unbeatable lineup. Ottawa has its own offensive players and will have chances to take advantage of Toronto defensively. The Senators have also made changes to their roster and will be looking to make life difficult for Toronto themselves.
Still, Marchenko makes the matchup a little more difficult. Toronto didn't necessarily need another forward who could score, but getting one gives the Maple Leafs another option to work with throughout the season. For the Senators, that means there is one more player to worry about when these teams meet. The rivalry was already going to have plenty of attention around it, and now Marchenko gives Toronto another offensive weapon to throw at Ottawa.
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