A huge trade has occurred on the eve of the 2026-27 NHL season involving six players and a draft pick, headlined by Toronto sending Matthew Knies to Columbus in exchange for Kirill Marchenko. The Blue Jackets also received d-man Emil Andrae, center Steven Lorentz, and a conditional 2027 2nd round pick as part of the deal, while Toronto acquired goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and winger Miles Wood as part of the exchange. Immediately following the trade, Marchenko signed a 6-year, $75 million ($12.5 million) contract with the Leafs, which is scheduled to begin in 2027-28, making him the 8th player this off-season to sign a deal having an AAV of eight figures. Marchenko will earn $3.85 million this season per his existing agreement, while Knies will collect $7.75 million this season and through 2031-32.
Separate from Marchenko’s acquisition, as part of this trade Toronto has continued to improve its goaltending situation. Since its off-season trades of Joseph Woll (to PHI) and Dennis Hildeby (to TBL), the Leafs have added Sergei Bobrovsky (via free agency), Patriks Plumins (via the draft) & now Merzlikins. There are concerns regarding Bobrovsky’s durability and recent statistical drop-off due to what many consider his 38-year-old body. A younger Merzlikins (32) presumably will take some of the workload off Bobrovsky’s shoulders in the future, although he is currently recovering from shoulder surgery himself and expected to miss the first 3-5 months of the season.
