A blockbuster trade went down on Monday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets sent Kirill Marchenko, Elvis Merzlikins, and Miles Wood to the Toronto Maple Leafs, while Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae, and a conditional 2027 second-round pick were sent the other way.

MONDAY EVENING MOVES!💥

We’ve acquired F Matthew Knies, D Emil Andrae, F Steven Lorentz and a conditional 2027 2nd-round pick in exchange for Kirill Marchenko, Miles Wood and Elvis Merzlikins.

📝 https://t.co/5Rmc55PHzh

CBJ x @OHHeartofitAll pic.twitter.com/9aSkPN5ThV

- Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) September 28, 2026

Marchenko, 26, is the best player involved in the trade, scoring 20-plus goals in each of the last four seasons since coming over to North America. In 2025-26, the Russian winger scored 31 goals and 74 points, but dropped to 27 goals and 67 points in 76 games last season.

Following the trade, the Maple Leafs and Marchenko agreed to a six-year deal that carries an annual cap hit of $12.5 million, making him one of the highest-paid players in 2026-27.

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

Marchenko is the main piece going to the Maple Leafs, but both Merzlikins and Wood are NHL players as well. Last season, Merzlikins posted an .883 save percentage and 3.40 goals against average in 30 appearances; it was the fourth consecutive season he’s finished with a save percentage below .900. Last season, Wood scored eight goals and 14 points in 54 games, his second season since joining the Blue Jackets.

Though they gave up the best player in the trade, the Blue Jackets also received a top-six forward in Knies. Last season, Knies scored 23 goals and a career-best 66 points in 79 games with the Leafs, though he was a -30. The year prior, Knies scored a career-best 29 goals and 58 points in 78 games, along with five goals and seven points in 13 playoff games.

Lorentz is a bottom-six player who scored seven goals and 18 points in 71 games last season, having posted 19 points twice in his career. The Kitchener, Ontario product also won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2024. As for Andrae, the left-shot defenceman played a career-high 61 games last season, scoring two goals and 13 points with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Penguins general manager on Evgeni Malkin

Before the start of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ season, general manager Kyle Dubas was asked about Evgeni Malkin’s future. In response, Dubas said, “I’m not going to do this day-to-day, year-by-year thing with [Malkin] again this year.”

EDITED: This sounds like Malkin's last year.

"I'm not doing this, day-to-day, year-to-year thing with Geno."

Dubas said it bluntly, and then stopped cold. Now, some took it as a shot at media to stop asking. I certainly took it as a I'm not going through it all, including the…

- Dan Kingerski (@TheDanKingerski) September 28, 2026

Malkin signed a one-year deal this past summer. There are plenty of question marks surrounding his future, but despite turning 40 before the start of the season, the veteran centre managed to have a productive 2025-26 with the Penguins. Over 56 games, the Russian scored 19 goals and 61 points in 56 games, with another two goals and three points in six playoff games.

The 40-year-old has spent his entire career with the Penguins, amassing 533 goals and 1,407 points in 1,269 games, with another 69 goals and 183 points in 183 postseason games. He’s won multiple trophies in his career too, including three Stanley Cups, two Art Ross, a Conn Smythe, a Hart, and a Ted Lidnesy, and the Calder in his rookie campaign.

While his future is still in question following the 2026-27 season, he’s likely to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer whenever he becomes eligible.

Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFOEdmonton, DFOCalgary, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on X at @CynthiaRDelaney.

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