Kirill Marchenko gives the Toronto Maple Leafs a legit top-six scorer. Craig Button still isn't buying them as a playoff team.
The TSN director of scouting didn't hedge when Jay Onrait put the question to him in a segment posted early Tuesday, hours before the Leafs host the Canadiens tonight.
"My issue with the Toronto Maple Leafs not being a playoff team is the blueline, I don't think it's anywhere near good enough," Button said.
Blunt. And hard to wave away, because he wasn't even questioning the forward group.
The new winger comes with real credentials. The 26-year-old scored 27 goals and 67 points in 76 games with Columbus last season.
The year before, he was even better. He put up 31 goals, 74 points and a +29 rating over 79 games, the kind of two-way season that gets a winger paid.
And paid he is. His cap hit sits at $3,850,000 through 2026-27 before jumping to $12,500,000 through 2032-33.
The blue line question Jim Hiller has to answer fast
Button's critique lands hardest on the bench boss. Toronto hired Jim Hiller as head coach on June 17, and his first job is making a defense one of TSN's top evaluators just trashed look playable.
Adding Marchenko here is like putting new tires on a car with worn-out brakes. You'll get down the road faster. Stopping is still the problem.
The money already leans heavily up front. Auston Matthews carries a $13,250,000 cap hit, and William Nylander sits at $11,500,000.
Once that raise kicks in, Toronto has three forwards eating a massive slice of the cap. How much room does that leave to fix a blue line Button already doesn't trust?
The betting market isn't fully sold either. The odds shown during the segment had Toronto at -113 to make the playoffs and +900 to win the Atlantic.
A near coin flip. For a roster built around this much star money, that number should sting in the front office.
Button is right, and it isn't close. Goals are the fun part to shop for, and the Leafs just bought a bunch of them.
Defensemen who can break a forecheck, survive the penalty kill and move the puck under pressure are the hard part. Button clearly doesn't see enough of them in this group.
Toronto has won two straight, most recently a 4-2 win in Ottawa on September 23. Nice, but nobody's handing out banners for that.
Montreal comes to town at 7 p.m. tonight at 4-1-0 in its recent run. That's a real test for a back end now under a very public spotlight.
Marchenko will get his looks on the right side. The open question is how many of them start with a clean breakout, and how many die before the puck ever leaves the Leafs' end.
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Does Kirill Marchenko make the Maple Leafs a playoff team despite Craig Button's blue line concerns?
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