The Toronto Maple Leafs already got one big swing right with the Columbus Blue Jackets when they landed Kirill Marchenko, Miles Wood and Elvis Merzlikins in the Matthew Knies blockbuster. Now, with the Blue Jackets reportedly listening on another Russian forward, the Leafs have another name worth circling: Dmitri Voronkov.
Voronkov is 26 and still trying to establish himself as a full-time NHL scorer, but there’s more here than raw point totals. In 217 career games, he has 115 points, with 58 goals and 57 assists. This season has started slowly for him - six games, two assists - but his recent production suggests there’s real offensive value underneath the uneven start.
Last season, Voronkov put up 32 points in 63 games, scoring 17 goals and adding 15 assists. The year before, he reached a career high with 47 points in 73 games, including 23 goals and 24 assists.
That kind of production won’t jump off the page, but it’s enough to keep teams interested, and Pierre LeBrun reported exactly that on October 22, 2026: “Some teams calling with interest on winger Dmitri Voronkov. Not saying he will be traded for sure but CBJ listening.”
What makes Voronkov especially interesting for Toronto is the fit. The Leafs have been leaning on forward depth, and Thursday’s 5-4 win over the New York Rangers showed how important that layer can be when the game gets messy. Voronkov would add a different element entirely.
At six-foot-five and 230 pounds, the Angarsk native brings size the Leafs don’t just want - they can use it. He has the frame to go right through traffic, win space in front of the net and make life miserable for defenders.
NHL EDGE backed that up last season, when he recorded 64 high danger shots on goal, placing him in the 88th percentile. The season before, he had 82 high danger shots on goal, which put him in the 96th percentile.
Toronto also has a built-in angle that could help if Voronkov starts thinking seriously about a move. Marchenko is already in the organization, and that Russian connection could matter. If Columbus is open for business, the Leafs have a potential draw.
The question is price. Voronkov was the 114th overall pick in 2019, and it’s not clear what Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell would want in return.
The most realistic path seems to be a package built around at least a couple of prospects plus a pick or two. That would give Columbus pieces to work with while giving Toronto the kind of power-forward presence that can change how a line looks around the net.
There’s also the long-game angle. Voronkov is scheduled to be an RFA in the summer, which means Toronto could even try to pry him loose with an offer sheet.
Whether Columbus ends up moving him or simply keeping the phone lines warm, the Leafs have a clear case for getting involved. Even without eye-popping scoring numbers, Voronkov offers something plenty of teams chase: a big body who can plant himself in the blue paint, hunt rebounds and turn ugly chances into goals.
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