Maple Leafs lose season opener to Canadiens as McKenna, Marchenko make Toronto debut

Gavin McKenna has known for quite some time his NHL debut would come Tuesday night.

Kirill Marchenko wasn't even a member of the Maple Leafs at the start of the week.

The pair were among 10 players to suit up with Toronto for the first time in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday as the NHL regular season opened for both teams.

McKenna was selected first overall in June's NHL draft after the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade before beating the lottery odds, while Marchenko was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a blockbuster trade that saw Matthew Knies head the other way just over 24 hours ahead of puck drop.

"It's pretty hard to forget a day like this," said McKenna, an 18-year-old winger from Whitehorse. "Getting to have that rookie lap, seeing my family on the glass in warm-ups, hearing your name called in player intros — it's all pretty special."

Marchenko had a much shorter runway to prepare, and only learned around lunchtime he would be able to suit up after his immigration paperwork was completed.

"It's crazy," said the 26-year-old Russian winger, who signed a six-year contract extension worth $75 million US with Toronto. "We packed, we moved with my wife … really busy. But I'm happy it's done and I'm happy to be here. I hate that we lost, but it's still a great memory.

"Dream for everybody being with the Toronto Maple Leafs," he added. "But it's happened quick."

McKenna had a few nice moments, but also had some turnovers he wanted back before finishing a minus-2 with one shot on goal in 15 minutes 19 seconds of action.

"The first exhibition game, he talked to [the media] and said, 'Ya, it was just an OK night, I'll learn from it,'" Toronto head coach Jim Hiller said.