The Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets have swung a major blockbuster trade on the eve of the 2026-27 regular season.
Now complete, the deal sees the Maple Leafs acquire star winger Kirill Marchenko — extended for six years at a $12.5 million cap hit, per his agent, Dan Milstein — as well as goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and forward Miles Wood in exchange for forwards Matthew Knies and Steven Lorentz, defenseman Emil Andrae, and a second-round draft pick.
Marchenko, 26, recorded 27 goals and 67 points in 76 games with the Blue Jackets during the 2025-26 regular season. The 6’3″ right winger is signed for the 2026-27 season at a $3.85 million cap hit but had been noncommittal about the prospect of remaining in Columbus beyond his current contract, leading to a flurry of rumors and speculation about his future.
Knies, 23, is signed through 2031 at a $7.75 million annual cap hit. Another 6’3″ winger, Knies weighs in nearly 30 pounds heavier than Marchenko and is younger and cost-controlled, all of which clearly made him appealing to a Blue Jackets team looking to evolve into a long-term contender. 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.
According to Friedman, the Blue Jackets gave the Maple Leafs permission to speak with Marchenko to lock down a contract extension before finalizing the trade. The Blue Jackets additionally retained 18 percent (roughly $975,000) on Merzlikins, who is entering the final year of his contract and is currently out indefinitely with no timetable for a return after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.
Knies finished third on the Maple Leafs in scoring with 66 points (23 goals, 43 assists) in 79 games during the 2025-26 regular season. The Phoenix, Ariz. product dealt with a nagging knee injury throughout the year, which contributed to him finishing with a team-worst minus-30 rating. The Maple Leafs originally selected Knies in the second round (No. 57 overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft; he’s racked up 67 goals and 160 points in 240 career games with Toronto, not including his eight goals and 14 points in 27 playoff games.
Marchenko led all Blue Jackets forwards in goals and points in 2025-26 and finished second in overall team scoring behind Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski. The 2018 second-round pick (No. 49 overall) has amassed 102 goals and 208 points in 292 games across parts of four seasons in Columbus.
Merzlikins appeared in just 30 games with the Blue Jackets in the 2025-26 season and lost the starter’s job to upstart sophomore Jet Greaves. 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.
Lorentz and Wood are both depth wingers who cleared waivers over the weekend. Lorentz, 30, is signed through 2028 at a $1.35 million cap hit; Wood, 31, is locked in through 2029 at $2.5 million per season. Andrae, 24, was previously acquired by Toronto from the Philadelphia Flyers in June as part of the Joseph Woll trade.
The Maple Leafs are scheduled to kick off their 2026-27 regular season slate on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens; Columbus will open its season on Oct. 1 against the Buffalo Sabres.