Kirill Marchenko Escapes Visa Purgatory for Highly Anticipated Leafs Debut

Kirill Marchenko is finally making his Toronto Maple Leafs debut after getting stuck in work visa purgatory.

You would think a franchise that just handed a guy a six-year, $75 million extension could figure out the international paperwork faster than the local DMV, but government bureaucracy remains undefeated.

"Daily Faceoff reported that Marchenko will make his Leafs debut after resolving his work visa issue."

The Leafs did not just casually pick Marchenko up off waivers to fill out the bottom six. They shipped out Matthew Knies and a haul of assets in a massive seven-player blockbuster with the Columbus Blue Jackets to land the 26-year-old Russian.

Toronto is paying $12.5 million a year for a guy who just dropped a team-high 27 goals and 67 points in Columbus last season. That is serious top-line money, which means the pressure to produce immediately is going to be astronomical in a market that treats a two-game scoring drought like a federal crime.

Marchenko is slated to suit up when the Montreal Canadiens visit Toronto on Tuesday night. Prop bettors are absolutely going to hammer his shot totals and anytime goal odds just based on the sheer adrenaline of a highly anticipated debut in a rivalry game.

If he comes out flying against Montreal, the visa delay will be a funny footnote. If he looks rusty, the Toronto sports radio callers are going to demand the front office deport him back to Ohio by Wednesday morning.