Kirill Marchenko will be an excellent fit for Leafs

On the eve of the NHL’s 2026-27 campaign, the league saw one last offseason blockbuster.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets completed a last-minute trade that centered around forwards Kirill Marchenko and Matthew Knies, with the Leafs immediately extending Marchenko to a six-year, $75-million contract with an annual cap hit of $12.5 million.

The Russian winger has scored at least 20 goals in each of his four NHL seasons and reached career highs in 2024-25 with 31 goals and 43 assists for 74 points. That production could skyrocket if the 26-year-old Marchenko is lined up with three-time Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy-winner Auston Matthews.

Read more: Anthony Trudeau’s Daily Faceoff trade grades for the Marchenko-Knies trade

On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discuss Monday’s trade and how Marchenko will fit in Toronto’s lineup.

Carter Hutton: Marchenko is a star. This is a player that is a difference maker when he is on the ice. He’s still relatively young, and yes, his extension kicks in next season. I think the way this played out, for me, is the factor that you’re getting the best-possible player to be there, and I think he’s going to be a guy who pushes the pace better with Matthews.

With Matthews and Marchenko, how do you stop that one-two punch? I think at the end of the day, that’s how John Chayka and Mats Sundin saw this trade going down.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I’m with you in the sense that when they move Marchenko to the top line with Matthews, that can be a duo that is very, very dangerous. He can create a lot more space, even off the rush, for Matthews.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…