Elliotte Friedman reveals the five teams Maple Leafs beat out for Kirill Marchenko
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Kirill Marchenko is a Maple Leaf, and Elliotte Friedman says Toronto had to beat out five other teams to get him done.
Toronto got its man. The Maple Leafs landed Kirill Marchenko in a trade that sent Matthew Knies to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and now we know how crowded the race really was.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports the Leafs had to outlast five other teams to get it done.
Montreal was the loudest name all summer, and Friedman says the Canadiens stayed aggressive right to the end.
They even tried bringing in third teams to absorb Columbus salary or add more appealing players, but nothing they offered got the Blue Jackets excited.
Friedman also named Boston, the Islanders, Seattle and Tampa Bay as suitors.
Why Knies tipped the scales
Knies was the difference maker.
He is 23, carries a $7.75M cap hit and had no trade protection, which made him the one piece Columbus wanted more than anything else on the market.
Friedman's take is that no other package could match him.
"Montreal was aggressive all summer, trying to make it work. But no one they offered excited Columbus as much as Knies. They were creative at the end, trying to involve third teams to either eat Blue Jackets salary or include more palatable players. As for the extension, I do think the Canadiens would have done the six years, $12.5 million AAV Toronto did - even if it altered their tight salary structure. Who else was in there? Boston, the Islanders, Seattle, Tampa Bay. No doubt others. But Knies was impossible to beat."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
Marchenko also signed a new six-year deal with Toronto worth $12.5M per season.
Friedman believes Montreal would have matched that number too, even if it stretched their tight cap picture.
What it means for Toronto
The Leafs are getting a sniper who scored 27 goals and 67 points in 76 games last season, and the timing is almost too good.
Toronto opens the year at home against Montreal on Tuesday night, so the Canadiens get a front row look at the winger they chased all summer.
The Leafs also took on Miles Wood and Elvis Merzlikins in the deal, which shows how badly they wanted Marchenko.
Losing Knies stings for plenty of fans, but the Leafs bet big on a proven scorer, and the season starts now.
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