The New York Islanders attempted to acquire Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets before he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Blue Jackets sent Marchenko, along with Miles Wood and Elvis Merzlikins, to the Maple Leafs for Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae, and a second-round pick the day before the 2026-27 NHL regular season began in a true blockbuster.
But before the Blue Jackets sent Marchenko to Toronto, the Islanders tried to get him in a trade from Columbus first.
Islanders Wanted Kirill Marchenko
According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the Islanders attempted to acquire Marchenko from Columbus before they sent him to Toronto instead.
“Every time there’s a good player available, we make calls. He’s a good player. I thought he was really good last night. Good for the Leafs,” said Islanders GM Mathieu Darche, who wouldn’t completely confirm LeBrun’s report, though he hinted at it.
“It’s my job to always try and improve the team. We haven’t made the playoffs the last two years. I want to improve the team. Is it easier said than done? Of course. Trust me, I spent the summer trying.”
Islanders Didn’t Have a Matthew Knies to Trade
Sure, if the Islanders put up Matthew Schaefer, the NHL’s rookie of the year, in a trade, then they could have easily had Marchenko on their roster right now.
But obviously, they weren’t willing to do that, and other than Schaefer, they didn’t have a player who had the same type of value that Knies did, which is why the Maple Leafs beat out New York in the trade talks.
That being said, Darche knows that his team has to get better after barely missing out on the postseason last year, and for that to happen, they are going to have to make some more moves to bring in some big guns to help supplant their forward group.
That might not be Marchenko, but there will be plenty of other forwards available from now until the NHL trade deadline, so look for the Islanders to keep being aggressive and make a move.
Islanders Tried to Acquire Kirill Marchenko