New NHL Trade Rumors Reveal Maple Leafs' Pursuit of Kirill Marchenko amid Blue Jackets Contract Buzz

The Toronto Maple Leafs could be adding some offensive firepower to their roster ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported Monday the Maple Leafs are in "deep" trade talks for Columbus Blue Jackets right-winger Kirill Marchenko.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported additional details:

This comes as Columbus and Marchenko have been unable to come to terms on a contract extension. He was also rather noncommittal about his status with the franchise when asked about his future in Columbus earlier this offseason:

Marchenko is scheduled for restricted free agency after the upcoming season, so there could be some motivation on Columbus' part to trade him if he has no interest in returning on an extension.

It would at least get something in return before he signs elsewhere down the line.

And there doesn't seem to be a shortage of suitors, as Friedman recently reported on his 32 Thoughts podcast (h/t Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston).

"Montreal, everybody knows about, the Islanders I mentioned a couple pods ago," Friedman said. "Toronto I think has really tried to keep their interest secret, but it's kind of seeped out. I think Winnipeg at one point kind of looked into it.

"I heard Boston made an offer at one point. I had some people say Vegas, I had some other people say they weren't sure it was Vegas. I have to think Seattle is around this. They've really been looking at trying to grab a top-end player and they could make this deal."

So much interest from Toronto and others isn't particularly surprising, as Marchenko is 26 years old and coming off back-to-back impressive seasons. He scored 74 points on 43 assists and 31 goals in 2024-25 and then followed up with 67 points on 40 assists and 27 goals in 2025-26.

Given his age and the reality he was playing for a Blue Jackets team that missed the playoffs both seasons, it is reasonable to expect him to be even more productive in the future if he is surrounded by more talent on playoff contenders.

Toronto is certainly looking to return to the postseason after missing out last year. 

It snapped a streak of nine straight seasons making the playoffs in part because of a middling offense that was 16th in the league in goals per game. Adding someone like Marchenko could help improve those numbers and perhaps lead to a return to the postseason.