The Toronto Maple Leafs open the new NHL season Tuesday night against the Montreal Canadiens.
And the Leafs will do so coming off huge news from Monday, when they pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a six-player swap that sent Matthew Knies, and others, back to the Blue Jackets.
It’s a huge move for Toronto, one that brings the super-fast Marchenko to town as a potential top-line winger.
It also is a costly one, as the Maple Leafs had to sign Marchenko to an extension that makes him their second-highest paid player (behind Auston Matthews).
Lost in the shuffle a bit is the fact that Marchenko had been on the block for a while. Other teams wanted him, too.
And it sounds like the Maple Leafs beat out none other than the Habs to get him.
Canadiens Wanted Marchenko
The reporting from The Athletic’s Chris Johnston on Monday night made clear that Montreal also wanted Marchenko.
It sounds like Toronto was the only team that really escalated talks with big offers, though.
“Another element to consider here: The Montreal Canadiens were considered the most aggressive pursuers of Marchenko this offseason, according to sources familiar with those talks, speaking under condition of anonymity to address a deal that wasn’t consummated,” Johnston writes. “But the Canadiens lacked a roster player as good as Knies whom they were willing and able to part with, and that was a key component for Columbus. In recent weeks, the Leafs stepped up their efforts to land Marchenko instead of seeing him potentially land with an Atlantic Division rival. In addition to sending Knies the other way, their willingness to offset the salary cap imbalance was critical. That meant taking on (Elvis) Merzlikins and (Miles) Wood — which Toronto was initially unwilling to do, before eventually changing course to get the trade across the finish line.”
There are only so many players that would’ve fit the Columbus plans in moving Marchenko. They aren’t in a great salary cap spot, and most star players have bigger cap numbers than Knies.
That’s part of what made Knies particularly valuable — he could fit where other standouts might not have been able to due to contracts.
It’s certainly a big part of what got this deal done for the Leafs.
Line Questions
Making this deal on the eve of the new season means it could take some time for lines to fully come together.
Matthews will be the top-line center, with John Tavares the second center. But the Leafs now have a bunch of wingers, including Marchenko, William Nylander, Gavin McKenna and Jack Roslovic.
They may experiment for a while before settling on their best trios.
Still, it’s a good problem to have. The Maple Leafs like their roster, with a bunch of new faces this season, and are hoping it’s good enough to bounce back from a year ago.
Maple Leafs’ Kirill Marchenko Trade Denied Major Rival Chance At Deal