Leafs reportedly acquiring a starting goalie in Kirill Marchenko blockbuster

Toronto may be getting more than a star winger out of its blockbuster with Columbus.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Maple Leafs are expected to take goaltender Elvis Merzlikins if the trade goes through, and that detail changes how this whole deal looks.

The headliner is still Kirill Marchenko, who is set to move to Toronto with Matthew Knies going back to the Blue Jackets.

The Leafs also got permission to talk extension with Marchenko's agent, which tells you how serious this is.

The cap is the whole story.

Merzlikins is 32 and carries a $5.4 million cap hit in the final year of his contract.

He had shoulder surgery this offseason, was placed on injured reserve on September 25, and is out indefinitely.

He also played just 30 games last season after losing the starting job to Jet Greaves.

Columbus is squeezed on the eve of the season.

Moving that money gives the Blue Jackets room to absorb Knies and his $7.75 million cap hit.

Toronto does not need Merzlikins on the ice right now.

Parking him on long-term injured reserve looks like the logical path, though that depends on how the final deal shakes out.

Friedman himself said he wasn't sure what the finished trade would look like.

Later reports from The Fourth Period said Columbus is finalizing the deal with Merzlikins included, and an extension for Marchenko is expected to follow soon after.

Nothing is official until both teams say so.

For Leafs fans, this is a big swing.

Knies is a homegrown scorer who put up 66 points last season, while Marchenko has 27 goals and 67 points in 76 games.

Merzlikins is the price of admission.

Also read on House Of Hockey :
Montreal Canadiens reportedly have a trade package for Kirill Marchenko