The Maple Leafs’ trade for Kirill Marchenko turned into more than just a splashy move out of Columbus. It also became a clean win over Montreal in a bidding fight that now adds extra juice to Toronto’s season opener against the Canadiens on Tuesday.
During a TSN Hockey Panel segment with host James Duthie, Darren Dreger laid out how the deal unfolded and why the Canadiens came up short. Dreger said Toronto and Columbus first opened talks around July 1, with Matthew Knies initially in the conversation as part of a package for defenseman Zach Werenski. Those discussions later shifted to Marchenko once it became clear he would not sign an extension with the Blue Jackets.
Dreger said the market for Marchenko was strong, calling it “terrific interest.” He added that John Chayka stayed active in talks with Columbus GM Don Waddell and kept pressing until the Blue Jackets were ready to listen seriously to offers for the winger.
The real wrinkle, Dreger said, was that Montreal was in the mix too. He called it a “Canadian showdown” and said the Canadiens were “keen” on Marchenko. Kent Hughes pushed hard, but Montreal didn’t have a player like Knies that it was willing to send to Columbus, and the Canadiens couldn’t “get it over the line.”
In the end, Toronto’s offer included the kind of premium piece that changed the picture. Knies gives Columbus an immediate roster player with upside and a contract that Dreger described as highly attractive. Montreal, meanwhile, walked away without the scorer it wanted.
That leaves Marchenko’s arrival in Toronto tied to a bigger backdrop than a normal trade. The Leafs and Canadiens will meet to open the 2026-27 season, and this time the matchup comes with the added memory of a front-office battle that Toronto won.
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