It’s been just under a month since the Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off a blockbuster trade on the eve of the NHL season, acquiring Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a deal that saw Matthew Knies head the other way.

The sample size remains limited, but the early stats suggest Marchenko is proving to be the upgrade the Maple Leafs were betting he would be last month.

The 26-year-old winger has four goals and 10 points through 10 games this season, on pace to average a point per game for the first time in his career. After calling on himself to produce more last week, Marchenko posted a hat trick in a 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. He has been a consistent producer, posting at least a point in eight of Toronto’s 10 games.

The Maple Leafs inked Marchenko to a six-year, $75 million contract extension as part of the trade, boosting his cap hit to $12.5 million when it kicks in next season compared to the $7.75 million Knies is signed for.

“There’s a lot of good players in the NHL,” Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka said in the wake of the deal. “Very few that can impact winning and can single-handedly dictate outcomes of games and we believe that Kirill is one of those players for us.”

Marchenko is averaging 18:36 of ice time with Toronto as he has moved around the team’s top-six, seeing time on Auston Matthews’ line to start the season before more recently skating on the second line.

Selected in the second round of the 2018 draft, Marchenko spent four seasons with the Blue Jackets before the trade last month. He said after a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Monday he is unsure what to expect in his return.

“I don’t know about my emotions; it’s my first time in this position,” Marchenko said. “It’s interesting. I’ll try and focus on my game. It’s just another game, but it will be a special night.”

It wouldn’t be surprising if boos await Tuesday, given that Marchenko had previously informed the Blue Jackets he did not intend to re-sign with the club.

“I have nothing but respect for Kirill; he’s just an outstanding hockey player, he really is,” Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness told 97.1 The Fan in Columbus earlier this month. “He’s got tremendous skills and we wish him nothing but the best.

“But the bottom line is, he didn’t want to be here and wasn’t going to be here much longer. So, if you talk to any player on any professional hockey team, the only people they want in that locker room are guys who want to be there and want to be part of the team.

“That’s something we wanted to emphasize at the start of the season. We want players who are proud to put that jersey on. Kirill had his own reasons, whatever they were, why he was not going to sign, so Don made a great trade for Knies.”

PlayerGPGoalsAssists
 PointsTOIKirill Marchenko10461018:36Matthew Knies722418:20Knies has gone cold in Columbus

Knies got off to a dream start in Columbus, posting two goals and an assist in a 6-3 win over the Sabres in his first game with the team. However, after adding another assist two nights later, he has gone five straight games without a point for the Blue Jackets.

It initially appeared the fresh start had sparked the 24-year-old winger, whose name had appeared in trade rumours dating back to the trade deadline last season.

“Yeah, look, I apologized to him for the noise over the last several months,” Chayka said after Knies was dealt. “I don’t think it was necessarily fair to him. This was the only thing we seriously considered as a management group. These things happen. He understands … He’s a professional athlete and he’s a smart kid. But he took the news well. It’s a good, young team he’s going to. I think it’s a good fit for him. I think he’ll do well.”

Knies is averaging 18:20 of ice time with the Blue Jackets and is on an early pace to see a drop off from the career-high 66 points he posted in 79 games last season.

The blockbuster deal also saw defenceman Emil Andrae, forward Steven Lorentz and a 2027 second-round draft pick go to the Blue Jackets, while forward Miles Wood, who has yet to play at any level this season, and injured goaltender Elvis Merzlikins joined the Maple Leafs.

Andrae was flipped by Toronto before he ever played a game with the team, having been acquired in June from the Philadelphia Flyers. The 24-year-old blueliner has one assist in four games with the Blue Jackets while averaging just 10:36 of ice time. He has served as a healthy scratch in three games, but he will draw back in against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Lorentz cleared waivers prior to the trade to the Blue Jackets and has been off to a blistering start with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, posting six goals and one assist in six games. He had seven goals and 18 points in 71 games with the Maple Leafs last season.

Following the blockbuster trade, both the Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets have gotten off to uneven starts to the campaign. Toronto sits sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 4-4-2 record, while the Blue Jackets are last in the Metropolitan with a 3-4-0 record.