Who Won the Knies-Marchenko Trade? Your Hockey Pool Already Knows
The 2026-27 season hadn’t even started, and Leafs Nation was already in full meltdown.
On Monday, Sept. 28, one day before opening night, Toronto traded Matthew Knies to Columbus for Kirill Marchenko. One week later, every group chat in Ontario has the same question: did the Leafs just trade away the wrong guy?
The Trade Nobody Saw Coming (Until Everybody Did)
Knies was a fan favourite. The big power forward came up through the Leafs system and put up a career-high 66 points last season. But his name had been floating in trade rumours for months, and even he admitted the noise was “kind of getting old.”
Marchenko was the opposite story. He led Columbus with 27 goals last season, but he wanted out, and a trade was coming one way or another.
So the two teams made a six-player deal:
- Toronto got: Kirill Marchenko, Miles Wood and goalie Elvis Merzlikins
- Columbus got: Matthew Knies, Emil Andrae, Steven Lorentz and a conditional 2027 second-round pick
A proven sniper for a homegrown power forward. On paper, it made sense. Then the games started.
Week One: A Record Night vs. Three Hours of Sleep
Marchenko went first. On Sept. 29, he suited up for the Leafs home opener against Montreal on roughly three hours of sleep, with zero practices alongside his new teammates. He picked up an assist on William Nylander’s goal less than a minute in. The Leafs still lost 3-2 to the Canadiens.
His own verdict after the game: “I can play better. I can play better for sure.”
Two nights later, Knies made his Blue Jackets debut against Buffalo. He scored on the power play, set up an Adam Fantilli goal less than a minute later, then scored again in the second period. Two goals, one assist and first-star honours in a 6-3 win.
He also became the first player in Blue Jackets history to score more than once in his debut for the club.
One game each. One very loud fan base.
What the Trade Means in Your Hockey Pool
Here’s where it gets fun. In a hockey pool, a player’s value comes down to two things: how much ice time he gets and who he plays with. A trade changes both overnight.
Knies could be the steal of the season. In Toronto, he played behind stars like Auston Matthews and Nylander. In Columbus, he’s a go-to guy, with power play time and linemates like Fantilli and Zach Werenski. More ice time usually means more points, and his debut backed that up.
Marchenko is the wild card. He’s now surrounded by more firepower than he ever had in Columbus, which can mean a lot of assists. But a new city, a new system and new linemates take time. Matthews already likes what he sees, calling him “such a good player, he’s so smart.”
So if Knies is on your roster, you’re feeling like a genius. If you’ve got Marchenko, you’re counting on patience. Either way, you’re watching every Leafs and Blue Jackets game a lot more closely.
Every Trade Debate Needs a Scoreboard
That’s the magic of a hockey pool. Without one, the Knies-Marchenko argument goes in circles all season. Your uncle swears the Leafs got fleeced. Your coworker says Marchenko just needs a week. Nobody ever wins.
In a pool, every goal and every assist turns into points for somebody in your group. Picked Knies? Every Blue Jackets highlight is a little victory lap. Took Marchenko? His first two-goal night at Scotiabank Arena is your moment.
And the best part: you make your own trades too. Think you can read the next blockbuster better than an NHL front office? Your pool standings will tell everyone exactly how right (or wrong) you were, and the bragging rights last until next October.
Settle It in Your Own Pool
The season is just getting started, and there’s plenty of hockey left to prove who called this trade right. Whether your crew wants a box pool, a draft pool, a pick’em or a survivor pool, OfficePools has been running Canadian hockey pools since 1995.
Players join free. You set the rules. We handle the stats, the standings and the nightly recaps, so you can focus on the trash talk.
