Blue Jackets Trade Kirill Marchenko to Maple Leafs for Matthew Knies in Six-Player Deal

The Columbus Blue Jackets were only ever going to trade Kirill Marchenko if they got talent back. They found what they were looking for given the circumstances.

On Monday, the Blue Jackets dealt Marchenko to the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Miles Wood and Elvis Merzlikins for Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae and a 2027 conditional second-round pick.

This turned into a case of one team believing in immense talent and the other one making the best of a situation with a player not interested in extending with their team.

Recapping the Trade

Here is what GM Don Waddell had to say about the three new players he acquired.

On Knies: “Matthew is a big, strong power forward who combines tough, hard-nosed physical play with outstanding offensive skills. He is a young player with great character and work ethic and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Blue Jackets family.”

On Andrae and Lorentz: “Emil is extremely competitive, works hard and has excellent vision and puck-moving skills, while Steven has great size and strength and plays with great energy. Both are competitive guys that will be great additions to our organization.”

The Blue Jackets able to address different needs with this trade. They got their power forward who is three years younger and five years of cost control. They also got a depth center in Lorentz who won a Stanley Cup and a mobile defenseman in Andrae.

The Maple Leafs got their dynamic winger to play with Auston Matthews. Marchenko has over 100 goals in his first four NHL seasons. Many believe he will be an eventual 40-goal scorer. He’s got size and skill most anyone would envy. He’s also as close to automatic in shootouts as you can get.

Marchenko agreed to a six-year, $75 million extension with the Maple Leafs that will kick in next season. They took on Wood and Merzlikins to make it happen. The Blue Jackets did retain 18% of Merzlikins’ salary.

The other parts of the deal were to make the cap work especially up against the 5 P.M. eastern roster deadline.

Ultimately, both teams got what they wanted given the unique circumstances surrounding the Blue Jackets.