Maple Leafs Trade Target
Maple Leafs Reportedly Eye Columbus Forward Kirill Marchenko Ahead of Trade Deadline
Anonymous
The Maple Leafs are among several teams interested in Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko, though Columbus says it is listening to offers rather than actively shopping him. Toronto would need to clear salary to fit Marchenko’s current cap hit and could face a significant cost to keep him beyond this season. Matthew Knies has emerged as a possible trade piece because he has no trade protection, but a fan-proposed deal sending him and several assets to Columbus for Marchenko and Zach Werenski has not been reported as an actual negotiation. One analysis argues that Knies’s comparable scoring, younger age, longer and cheaper contract, and playoff experience make that hypothetical package a poor deal for Toronto unless Werenski is the main target.
Key Points
1
Elliotte Friedman said Montreal is also pursuing Marchenko, and that Boston made an offer for him at one point.
2
Marchenko scored 27 goals and had 67 points in 76 games last season; his current contract expires after this season, and he is set to become a restricted free agent in July 2027.
3
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported that Knies was nearly traded to Montreal in the spring, but the deal fell through because of a time crunch.
4
Knies has said he does not want to leave Toronto, saying he does not want to “leave this group of guys” and “wouldn’t want to leave” the Maple Leafs.
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