MONDAY EVENING MOVES!💥 We’ve acquired F Matthew Knies, D Emil Andrae, F Steven Lorentz and a conditional 2027 2nd-round pick in exchange for Kirill Marchenko, Miles Wood and Elvis Merzlikins. 📝 cbj.co/trade-092826 CBJ x @OHHeartofitAll
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NHL Notebook: Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs swing blockbuster deal
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 29, 2026, 16:30 EDTUpdated: Sep 29, 2026, 16:16 EDT
A top-six forward is now off the trade market.
On Monday evening, the Columbus Blue Jackets sent Kirill Marchenko, Elvis Merzļikins, and Miles Wood to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae, and a 2027 second-rounder. Following the trade, Marchenko signed a six-year extension that carries a cap hit of $12.5 million beginning next season.
Marchenko had been in plenty of trade rumours heading into the start of the season. Arguably the best forward available to be traded, at least in the early goings of this season, Marchenko has reached the 20+ goal plateau in each of the last four seasons since coming to North America. Last season, he scored 27 goals and 67 points, slightly below his career-best of 31 goals and 74 points he set in 2024-25.
The Blue Jackets are getting a solid, young top-six forward in return as well, as Knies is on the cusp of a breakout. Last season with the Leafs, the 23-year-old scored 23 goals and set a new career-high of 66 points in 79 games. His career-high in goals came back in 2024-25, scoring 29 goals and 58 points in 78 games.
Marchenko’s contract is cheaper this season, but the Blue Jackets save cap space moving forward as Knies has a cap hit of $7.75 million until the end of the 2030-31 season. They also managed to dump Merzļikins’s $5.4 million cap hit after he posted four consecutive seasons with a save percentage below .900. Last season, Wood scored eight goals and 14 points in 54 games as a bottom-six forward.
Like Wood, Lorentz is a veteran bottom-six forward, coming off a season where he scored seven goals and 18 points, one point from matching his career-best that he set twice. Andrae is a left-shot defenceman who scored two goals and 13 points in 61 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season.
Matt Nieto announced retirement
Nieto was drafted 47th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2011 NHL Draft, making his debut with the team in 2013-14. His rookie campaign turned out to be one of his better seasons, scoring 10 goals and 24 points in 66 games, with two goals and five points in seven playoff games.
He hit the double-digit goal plateau three more times in his career, including scoring 15 goals and in 2017-18 with the Avalanche. Nieto also finished a season with 20 or more points fiveother times, including a career-high 27 points in his sophomore season.
Following the 2019-20 season, he hit the 20 point plateau one more time, finishing the 2022-23 season with 12 goals and 24 points. In 2021-22, he finished with 17 points.
Over his 12-year career, Nieto played 705 games with 87 goals and 206 points, with eight goals and 21 points in 62 playoff games. He had two separate stints with the Sharks and Avalanche, before playing parts of his final two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFO Calgary, DFO Edmonton, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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Calgary FlamesTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$90,091,666
$70,041,666
Projected Cap Space
$13,908,334
$43,458,334
Current Cap Space
$13,908,334
$43,458,334
Active Players
23/23
16/23
Draft Picks
Round
'27
'28
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