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Maple Leafs Acquire Marchenko in Blockbuster Trade
Confirmed
In Short: The Toronto Maple Leafs bolstered their roster with a blockbuster trade on the eve of the new NHL season, acquiring star winger Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Toronto Maple Leafs bolstered their roster with a blockbuster trade on the eve of the new NHL season, acquiring star winger Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Marchenko, 26, signed a six-year, $75 million contract extension with the Maple Leafs, adding significant depth to their forward corps.
In exchange, the Maple Leafs sent young power forward Matthew Knies, veteran centre Steven Lorentz, defenceman Emil Andrae, and a second-round pick to the Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets also received goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and forward Miles Wood as part of the deal.
The trade came after months of speculation, with Marchenko publicly requesting a trade out of Columbus.
Marchenko had a standout season with the Blue Jackets, leading the team with 27 goals and finishing second in scoring with 67 points in 76 games.
The Maple Leafs, who had been linked to Marchenko for months, now have a formidable lineup with the addition of the Latvian winger.
However, the trade leaves the Leafs with a crowded roster and questions about goaltending depth, as Merzlikins is currently out indefinitely with shoulder surgery.
The Blue Jackets, who retained 18 percent of Merzlikins' salary, now have Knies, a young and cost-controlled forward who finished third in scoring for the Maple Leafs last season.
Knies, despite battling injuries, had a career-best 66 points in 79 games last season.
The trade marks a significant shift for both teams, with the Maple Leafs looking to solidify their roster for a deep playoff run and the Blue Jackets focusing on long-term development.
The deal also includes a conditional 2027 second-round draft pick, adding another layer of complexity to the trade negotiations.
What's confirmed
- The Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets have swung a major blockbuster trade on the eve of the 2026-27 regular season.
What's still developing
- Despite being on a team-friendly contract that counts $7.75 million against the salary cap through 2031, his name has been spinning in the rumour mill since the March trade deadline.
- The Maple Leafs appeared to be at a crossroads last spring with plenty of draft capital and prospects having already been shipped out of town for past post-season pushes, but got lucky and beat the draft lottery odds for the right to select winger Gavin McKenna first overall in June.
- The Latvian netminder failed his physical at the start of Columbus’s 2026 training camp and doesn’t appear to have a clear path to a regular role in Toronto, with both Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz ahead of him on the depth chart.
- Knies had also been the subject of trade rumors for the better part of a year, dating back to before John Chayka replaced Brad Treliving as the Maple Leafs’ general manager.
- The question is, if it were to be the Maple Leafs that land him, what could a potential trade look like?
- That left any team acquiring him facing one of two hypotheticals: His addition sets the Leafs up to have a first line with Jack Roslovic joining Matthews and Marchenko, while having a second line featuring William Nylander, John Tavares and rookie Gavin McKenna, the Penn State forward who was the first pick in the 2026 draft.
- Getting him signed long term provides the Leafs with more certainty.
- The Blue Jackets have granted Marchenko’s agent, Dan Milstein, permission to negotiate an extension directly with interested teams.
- Both front offices are continuing to work through the final trade assets and cap implications.
- While the deal is not yet finalized, talks have advanced considerably, with Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies heavily rumoured to be a primary piece heading back to Columbus.
- The proposed Leafs-Blue Jackets trade involves multiple pieces, including Knies and Marchenko, and it's not a done deal yet.
- Plus Leafs negotiating with Marchenko's agent Dan Milstein.