Just before the 2026-27 NHL season began, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forwards Kirill Marchenko and Miles Wood and goalie Elvis Merzlikins from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In return, they sent forwards Matthew Knies and Steven Lorentz, as well as defenseman Emil Andrae and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to the Blue Jackets.
Knies scored twice and had an assist in his Blue Jackets debut in early October against the Buffalo Sabres, but has not scored since. Meanwhile, Andrae has skated in just five games, and now the club is placing him on waivers.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman Emil Andrae Placed On Waivers By The Blue Jackets
On Wednesday, the Blue Jackets announced that they placed both Andrae and forward Danton Heinen on waivers; they’ll have 24 hours to be claimed by another NHL team, or clear and be assigned to the American Hockey League affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.
“Heinen & Andrae (CLB) on waivers,” NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman reported on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the five games that Andrae has played this season, he’s registered a pair of assists, including one on a goal from Knies in their season-opening win over the Sabres at Nationwide Arena.
Andrae, who never actually played a single game with the Maple Leafs, developed through the Swedish system before signing his first professional contract with HV71 in 2020. He moved to North America in 2023, joining the American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers before signing an NHL contract.
Andrae made his NHL debut that October and played 42 games for the Flyers in 2024-25, recording his first NHL point and goal.
He was traded to Toronto in June 2026 and signed a two-year, $3.1 million contract before being sent to Columbus in September as part of the Marchenko trade.
In the 112 career NHL games he’s skated in, he’s scored three goals with 19 assists.
Former Leafs Forward Matthew Knies Is Ice Cold With The Blue Jackets
Since scoring twice in his Blue Jackets debut, Knies has yet to find the back of the net, and hasn’t registered a point in 10 of his last 11 contests.
Needless to say, this is a very disappointing development for Knies and the Blue Jackets, who were counting on him to continue his offensive production that made him one of the more dangerous forwards during his time with the Maple Leafs.
It’s true that it’s still early in the season and that it sometimes takes players who were traded to a new club some time to adjust to the new playing system.
But the fact that Knies has only a single assist in his last 11 games is a troubling stat, especially given his $7.75 million salary cap hit.
He’ll have a chance to get back on the scoresheet when he and the Blue Jackets host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Former Maple Leafs Player Gets Rough News After Marchenko Trade