Maple Leafs & Blue Jackets Pull Off 6-Player Blockbuster
BREAKING TRADE:
— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) September 28, 2026
TO: #Leafs Kirill Marchenko, Miles Wood, Elvis Merzlikins.
TO: #CBJ Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae and a 2nd Rd Pick pic.twitter.com/D1M9oxxvhv
The two teams, who had been in serious talks all afternoon, complete the deal that brings the elite sniper Marchenko to Toronto, while sending Knies to Columbus.
Steven Lorentz (who had just cleared waivers), Emil Andrae and a 2nd-round pick are also going to Columbus, while injured goalie Elvis Merzlikins and forward Miles Wood also head to the Leafs.
For Andrae, it's his second time traded since the end of last season, as he came to the Leafs from the Philadelphia Flyers for Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit.
The hold-up for much of the afternoon had been negotiating an extension in Toronto for the pending RFA Marchenko. It has now been confirmed to be a six-year deal with a $12.5 million AAV.
Kirill Marchenko has agreed to terms on a six year, $75 million contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs, carrying an average annual value of $12.5 million. #WeAreGoldStar! pic.twitter.com/n2ry3v7SUq
— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) September 28, 2026
That extension kicks in next year, as Marchenko completes a very affordable $3.85 million cap hit for this coming season. He'll be 32 upon completion of the deal, and it buys out five UFA years.
Marchenko, 26, is a true goal-scorer and top-flight offensive performer, and joins Auston Matthews, William Nylander and No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna on a star-studded Maple Leafs offense.
For the Blue Jackets, they do well to get a very good young skilled player like Knies, under a very reasonable contract for five more years, in return for a player who didn’t want to be there.