Toronto Maple Leafs complete massive five-player trade with Columbus

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a major trade on the eve of the NHL season. 

Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae, and a conditional 2027 second-round pick have been dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

In return, the Maple Leafs have received Kirill Marchenko, Miles Wood, and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. 

Late last week, news broke that the Leafs were one of several teams checking in on Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko. The 26-year-old was heavily involved in trade speculation throughout the offseason. 

This deal was first broken far earlier in the day, though there was a hold up as the Maple Leafs tried to work out an extension with Marchenko. They've since been able to put pen to paper on a massive new contract.

Kirill Marchenko has agreed to terms on a six year, $75 million contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs, carrying an average annual value of $12.5 million. #WeAreGoldStar! pic.twitter.com/n2ry3v7SUq

— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) September 28, 2026

While it certainly is a lot of money, Marchenko appears to be worth it. He's scored north of 20 goals in all four of his NHL seasons, and has racked up 141 points in his past 155 games. The 2025-26 campaign saw him rack up 27 goals and 67 points in 76 outings.

On the flip side, the Leafs lose Knies, who was becoming a big piece of their core group. The 23-year-old had his most productive NHL season to date in 2025-26, scoring 23 goals and a career-high 66 points in 79 outings.

This move continues what have been some big changes for John Chayka since taking over as GM earlier this offseason. Along with drafting Gavin McKenna first overall, Chayka also landed a pair of big free agents in defenceman Darryn Raddysh and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. 

The Leafs will kick off their season on Tuesday night at the Scotiabank Arena against the Montreal Canadiens.