The Matthew Knies-for-Kirill Marchenko trade between Toronto and Columbus had a much tighter runway than it first appeared.
PuckPedia’s reporting made clear that the deal nearly fell apart because of a Collective Bargaining Agreement wrinkle that forced the Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs to scramble before opening-night rosters were due to the league office. Earlier in the day, when Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first said the two sides were deep in talks, a different version of the trade was already on the table. That version would have been a nonstarter for Toronto, because Marchenko’s new six-year, $75MM extension would have pushed the Maple Leafs over next season’s salary cap and killed the deal from the league’s point of view.
The final structure got done only after Toronto adjusted the pieces around it. Emil Andrae and Steven Lorentz were included to make the numbers work, even though Marchenko’s future salary would have fit under the Maple Leafs’ cap table for 2027-28 on a projected $113.5MM Upper Limit.
The league doesn’t treat it that simply, though. In these offseason situations, it uses the current year’s cap with a 10% cushion, while also accounting for projected qualifying offers and prorated contracts for players moving between the AHL and NHL.
Under that formula, Andrae and Lorentz had to go as well, since both are signed through the 2027-28 season and Marchenko’s extension starts then.
In the Atlantic Division, the Red Wings are dealing with an injury note on Marco Kasper. Ansar Khan of MLive reported that Detroit will be without the center tomorrow afternoon because of an upper-body injury.
The issue came after Kasper’s second-period fight with Rangers defenseman Sean Durzi in last night’s game. Detroit’s season opener didn’t produce a point for Kasper, but he did win 71.4% of his faceoffs.
There was also movement on the AHL side involving Shane Bowers. He has signed a professional tryout agreement with the Belleville Senators, the Ottawa Senators’ AHL affiliate.
The announcement for Belleville’s 2026-27 opening-night roster confirmed the move. Drafted by Ottawa in 2017, Bowers is returning to the organization for the first time since the Senators traded him for Matt Duchene a few months after selecting him.
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The leagues trade chatter is already starting to swirl ahead of the 2025-26 season, and a few familiar names are surfacing in the discussions. Around the NHL, analysts are floating the kind of big-swing possibilities that get attention fast, with players like Erik Karlsson, Ryan OReilly, Quinn Hughes and Vince Dunn all mentioned as possible candidates depending on team direction, contract status and how clubs weigh their timelines against their rosters.
For Detroit, the conversation has a more uncomfortable edge because it forces a familiar question about where the Red Wings really stand. The debates are being shaped by performance expectations and cap realities, and while nothing has been confirmed, the mere fact that the discussion is happening around one of the teams more important forwards is enough to keep fans watching closely as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Larkin's Role In That Red Wings Controversy Changes Everything
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Dylan Larkin Trade Talk Just Put Detroit In An Awkward Spot
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The latest reporting has only sharpened the tension around any potential deal, with Minnesota said to be involved while also showing reluctance to meet Detroits asking price. The Red Wings, for their part, are not looking to move Larkin for a futures-only return, which leaves the conversation stuck in a tough middle ground as both sides try to find a framework that makes sense. [Read more 🡒]