Kirill Marchenko’s arrival in Toronto sparks elite point potential alongside Auston Matthews, while Matthew Knies faces a challenging transition as the new offensive anchor in Columbus.
The hockey world was turned upside down Monday with a blockbuster trade between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Toronto sent star forward Matthew Knies, along with depth forward Steven Lorentz, depth defenseman Emil Andrae and a 2027 second-round pick, to Columbus in exchange for Kirill Marchenko, bottom-six forward Miles Wood and depth goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, who is currently on long-term injured reserve.
Most of the pieces attached to this deal are secondary. What matters, for fantasy purposes and beyond, are the two headliners. Marchenko and Knies finished with 67 and 66 points, respectively, last season, and the move looks like it was driven more by salary cap management than anything else.
Toronto entered the situation roughly $3.8 million over the cap and needed to find relief, which ultimately cost the team a fan favorite in Knies for a comparable point producer in Marchenko at a lower cap hit, at least until Marchenko's new six-year, $75 million extension kicks in. Marchenko is also three years older than Knies. Toronto did also add a dependable bottom-six piece in Miles Wood as part of the return.
With the dust settled on what amounts to a genuinely franchise-altering move for both clubs, the fantasy implications for each player are significant. Knies now becomes a central piece of Columbus' push toward contention.
The Blue Jackets recently locked up franchise center Adam Fantilli to a six-year, $82.5 million extension, cementing him as the team's top-line center of the future, while also standing firm and holding onto star defenseman Zach Werenski despite a flurry of trade speculation this offseason.
Columbus also made notable additions up front, adding Conor Garland late last season and taking a bigger swing by bringing in Valeri Nichushkin, while also boasting a group of youngsters looking to take a step forward in Kent Johnson, Cole Sillinger and Denton Mateychuk.
Even so, this represents a potential step back for Knies in terms of situation, as he shifts from playing alongside elite center Auston Matthews with a 60-point floor, to skating with a Adan Fantilli, who has proven over his career to have a 60-point ceiling.
The move works in the opposite direction for Marchenko, who gets a fantasy boost. He's expected to slot onto Toronto's top line, playing alongside Matthews and newcomer Jack Roslovic. Over his ten NHL seasons, Matthews has scored 40 or more goals six times, with injuries the only thing preventing that mark in each of the last two years.
Marchenko enters this season off back-to-back 40-plus assist campaigns, and playing alongside Matthews makes a third straight a reasonable bet. His career year came in 2024-25, when he posted a near point-per-game pace with 74 points in 79 games, and the move to Toronto puts him in position for a potential career-best season.
Knies is currently going around pick 117 on average, while Marchenko is being taken around pick 63, a significant gap. Even after the move to Columbus, Knies still looks like a potential value at that price. Marchenko, meanwhile, entered the offseason already drawing breakout buzz as he entered a contract year. Despite landing his new mega extension in the trade, he still presents a strong breakout case with his move to Toronto.
Matthews himself also benefits from the trade, gaining a subtle upgrade on his left wing while already carrying built-in chemistry with Roslovic on his right side after the two played together with the U.S. National Development Program. Matthews is going around pick 15 on average, and in hindsight, that could end up looking like a bargain if he returns to form as a top-ten fantasy player this season.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
