NHL Rumor Mill – September 29, 2026
The fallout from the Marchenko-for-Knies trade, plus the latest on Connor Hellebuyck, Alexander Nikishin, Kirby Dach, and more in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
SPORTSNET: In his latest “32 Thoughts” column, Elliotte Friedman listed the factors that led to the multi-player trade in which the Columbus Blue Jackets shipped winger Kirill Marchenko to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Matthew Knies.
Columbus Blue Jackets traded winger Kirill Marchenko to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sept 28, 2026 (NHL Images).
First, the Blue Jackets were never offered anyone as appetizing as Knies, who’s locked in on a great value contract. Second, the Maple Leafs thought so highly of Marchenko that they were willing to take on forward Miles Wood and sidelined goaltender Elvis Merzlikins as part of the return. Third, Marchenko had an uneasy relationship with Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness.
Friedman reported that Marchenko wouldn’t have had a problem going to Montreal, but wasn’t as certain about Toronto. “Whatever his initial concerns, he warmed up when it really mattered.”
The Canadiens pursued a Marchenko deal aggressively during the summer, but no one they offered excited the Blue Jackets as much as Knies. Friedman believes the Canadiens would’ve signed Marchenko to a deal similar to the six years and $12.5 million average annual value he received from the Maple Leafs. He also thinks the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Seattle Kraken may have also been among the suitors.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I think the Canadiens signing Chris Kreider earlier this month signalled that their interest in Marchenko had cooled. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Blue Jackets sought Juraj Slafkovsky or Ivan Demidov, which would’ve been automatic deal-breakers for the Habs.
Turning to the Winnipeg Jets, Friedman wondered if adding Clay Stevenson via waivers on Monday might ease their desire for a goaltender in a trade package for Connor Hellebuyck.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Getting a goaltender was believed to be a key part of the Jets’ asking price for Hellebuyck. As Friedman suggested, it might not be a priority if Stevenson plays well, which could speed up efforts to move Hellebuyck.
Friedman believes the Jets have to get the Hellebuyck trade right or risk a domino effect in which other players want out. They’d rather do no trade than a bad trade. They were close to getting something done with the Buffalo Sabres. The Anaheim Ducks and Utah Mammoth may have also “taken a peek”.
The Carolina Hurricanes are “the most motivated pursuer.” If restricted free-agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin were willing to sign with the Jets, Hellebuyck would already be in Carolina. Several teams have permission to speak to Nikishin’s agent, and it’s assumed the Hurricanes could be trying to make a three-team trade work.
Nikishin reportedly seeks $9 million annually on a five-year contract, but that could be lower in the right situation. The St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators were suitors. A deal was nearly in place earlier in the summer with the New York Rangers, but it fell through.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers and the Nikishin camp reportedly couldn’t agree to terms for a new contract.
The Edmonton Oilers lack a right-shot center, which is why they’ve been linked to Canadiens forward Kirby Dach. Friedman claimed they also took a long look at Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright.
The Boston Bruins are trying to find a new home for defenseman Henri Jokiharju, who cleared waivers on Monday. Teams are curious what they might do with Matt Poitras, who avoided waivers for now.
It is not only Detroit that is dysfunctional, Edmonton
HAD a right shooting center but they shipped him
to Tampa Bay. Now I know he is Syracuse but you
know what they say’ a bird in the hand and worth more than two in the bush”
I don’t think a prospect who’s never played an NHL game is the idea they have in place for their only right handed centre.
Well who do they have now? Owen Michael.
Ya Travis, that isn’t what the Oil are thinking.
It’s a sign of Babcock’s attention to every minute detail vs disfunction.
If I had to bet this is about D zone face offs late in games, on the right side of the ice, when having a lead. If they really need to add someone at the TDL, then they can.
If another team has a better group of C’s than the Oil, I would luv to see the suggestions. Heck they’re playing a top 5 C in the NHL on the wing to start.
Well, perhaps not in the class of the Oilers top 2 C, but I’d say Ottawa has a selection of C/face-off specialists up and down the line-up second to none:
Stutzle – left-shot
Pinto – right-shot
Cozens – right-shot
Greig – left-shot
Giroux – right-shot
Halliday – left-shot
Cousins – left-shot
Well Fred, for a dysfunctional team they sure seem committed to team play early on and played very well in the preseason, which doesn’t mean a whole bunch. But is a sign the players, coaches and MGT are aligned. Heck even their tenders have played well.
Forgot to ask about the big story you predicted about the huge protests planned regarding Formenton. It was going to be an international story!
Whatever, 100 people showed up and walked around with some signs for a little while. Local and Canadian news barely covered it let alone an international story. I watch local news most days, didn’t even see it covered on TV.
A little hyperbolic with your posts perhaps?
You should have attended my condo board
meeting in my building. Me, 2 others and the
condo board. 100 people out of what was it
70,000 signatures is quite impressive. Apathy
rules. Please vote in your next municipal election.
They need more than a 20% turnout.
Fred I have voted in every election, feds, provincial, municipal, since my late 20’s and I’m 61.
I will be voting in the upcoming AB referendum as well.
FRED020 your crush on O’Reily is getting a little unsettling.
Oilers have Owen Michaels on the club who is a right handed center so your point is moot.
They want an established nhl pro in the role though which beither Sam ro Owen is yet. Though with Owen getting a looked if he performs well…maybe it satisfies the need/want…Idk.
But Sam is gone, good luck to him, but as an Oiler fan i choose to focus on…Oilers.
1Oiler and Ray:
Thoughts on Dach to the Oil?
I think his brother is a very effective player LJ! Babcock seems to feel the same way about him so he’ll get his minutes.
Depends what you want back for Dach.
Big C with skill who is as snake bitten with injuries as you can be. And a pending UFA. So not sure he has much value because he is difficult to count on being there come the post season.
Basically if you guys don’t want him we’ll take him. I’m rooting for the guy, he’s from around here and if anyone is due to catch a break it’s him.
IMO he’s worth more to Montreal than the Oil.
And I can’t see how the Oil can fit him into their cap space (pretty much nil right now), or who the Oil would give back that could help the Habs.
I put these rumours down to “need to fill space.” The relationship with Bowman is supposed to be the link but that seems pretty slender.
LJ – I am with Ray on this. Its all about the acquisition cost. For me, I’m not sure what is fair and I’m probably not willing to part with fair to get him…at least not right now.
I think we have a good sense as to who Kirby is and I dont think a trade to edm is going to make him durable or blossom into the promise he had as a 3rd overall pick anymore than what he is showing/has done with his time in Mtl to date.
The one thing I will say is that by reports it does seem like this is someone Bowman wants to obtain and I would almost rather have him acquired mid season and have a feel how he fits for a spell than Bowman simply signing as a ufa next off season without a test drive so to speak.
Kirby Dach is a huge (6’ 4” 225 lbs) right-shot C whose size, position, aggressive style – and one big season at Saskatoon in the WHL (25g 48a 73 pts in 62gp) – led to his going 3rd overall (and 2nd among C drafted) in 2019) to Chicago.
Watching him – when healthy – leaves no doubt that he is a talented player and, under normal circumstances, would command a top return in trade.
Unfortunately, since entering the league with Chicago, his repeated (and various) injuries has led to his playing in just 164 of his potential 328 games – or 50%. And that, of course, has led to a significant drop in what interested teams might be willing to relinquish in order to acquire him. The risk is real.
And that is no doubt uppermost in the mind of Hughes – i.e., it just isn’t worth letting him go for a minor return only to see him finally shake off the injury bug and break out big time. He only turns 26 in January, costs just $3.6 mil off the cap, and becomes a UFA at season’s end. It’s probably better to hang onto him than move him for a mid- to low-round pick, or roster equivalent who would likely wind up in Laval anyway.
My take for what it’s worth.
Incidentally, the other 9 C taken in that 2019 draft were Jack Hughes (1st overall to NJ), Alex Turcotte (5th overall to L.A.), Dylan Cozens (7th overall to Buffalo), Trevor Zegras (9th overall to Anaheim), Alex Newhook (16th overall to Dallas), Peyton Krebs (17th overall to Vegas), Connor McMichael (25th overall to Washington), Ryan Suzuki (28th overall to Carolina), and John Beecher (30th overall to Boston).
There are a few outright busts in there when 31 picks were the Round maximum. For the record, Ottawa then selected Shane Pinto 1st in the 2nd Round.
Just from my pens recent history with chinakov and lapierre… two 1st round reclamation projects … one got a 2nd and a third the other a third and a 5th. So I’d think dach would be somewhere in between.
Helly and NYR 4th to Canes
Nikishin to NYR
Schneider, Nadeau, NYR 1st(protected) Kochetkov to Winny
Take Nadeau out of that deal and its a deal!
Mike 24 I think that’s basically the original package that the Canes had previously offered, along with their own pick, offering up two pieces and a back up goalie is more than fair. The Jets won’t take an equivalent of Nikishin and Kochetkov, it’s an underpay. I believe Nadeau would probably seal it, Chevy isn’t as focused on a back up goalie after the Stevenson waiver claim.
I think Nikishin was looked at by the Rangers before Petterson+Durzi came in. He would of been my second choice after Nemec if Devils would of traded him across the bridge
Exactly ds. Lyle even mentions early summer. There’s also the 9mil Nikishin is seeking.
So basically picks & prospects, no one that helps the Jets now.
Jets need 2nd line help and this trade does nothing to help them out.
Jets have also been up front that theyre not looking for picks & prospects. If they were Hellebuyck would have been traded months ago.
I dont know how this helps the Jets out today, so why would they do this deal???
Probably because Schneider and Nadeau are as good as they’re going to be offered and within a season would contribute within the top half of their lineup. A 1st is currency to flip at the trade deadline, if they got Kochetkov as well, it would stabilize their crease. The cavalry isn’t coming in a Helle deal, you’re not netting a Knies and more, a top six young forward and top 4 dman with depth pieces and a pick is the going rate unfortunately when you have limited teams looking.
Where did i ever say anything about knies or any player for that matter?
I said exactly what the Jets have said since day 1, they dont want picks & prospects and thats exactly what that deal is.
None of those players are top 6 forwards. Potentially maybe but not now.
Jets dont need another goalie prospect, he’s not going to stabilize anything.
If the Jets were looking for a goalie to ‘stabilize’ the net, why would they have picked Clay off wavers?
If theres 1 thing Cheveldayoff is good at its trades. He has a impressive history of doing some amazing trades.
It’s not that the Habs signing Kreider meant that their interest in Marchenko had cooled. Rather they realized that Waddell wasn’t going to trade him without getting a top winger in return. And other than the Leafs, apparently no team was willing to do that.
It is very likely that Waddell asked for Slafkovsky or Demidov in return. There was no way Hughes was doing that. I question whether Knies for Marchenko makes the Leafs better. Slafkovsky or Demidov for Marchenko would have made the Habs worse.
The question is what do the Habs do now. It’s a sellers market. No team seems to be in a tear down now. The only was a top six forward becomes available is if a team needs to create cap room, like with Kreider or Dorofiyev, or if a player reasonably close to UFA status wants out, like Marchenko. Best bet is to keep Kreider and either Newhook or Kapanen in the top six until Hage and Zharovsky are hopefully ready.
Yes, Howard. It always does come down to who for who and or what.
The Habs did pretty well last year with Newhook or Kananen as centers and it is unlikely that a legit 2C becomes available for futures (which is what the Habs have to offer). They can limp along until Hage comes in.
Zharovsky has to be a few years away yet.
I don’t know about your assessment here. The way I see it, your team’s management has identified a need which was a player who literally was Marchenko and Knies and had an opportunity to add the elements both these players bring and something obviously lacking in the current construction at the time. They have possibly fulfilled that need with a stop gap with Krieder, which was a good but not great in the sense of checking off that identified need long term as a permanent fixture. But all this just makes for a thrill ride of a season both on and off the ice.
Man this conference is gonna be a murders row of teams.
Marchenko-another failed Sweeney non-move
Looks like bruins lost out to leafs on this one what I would like to know is what the bruins offered to Columbus for Marchenko. Looking forward to Bs and NY tonight. Quite excited wouldn’t that be something if Hagens scored.
That’s a good question John.
As we all know C is the more pressing issue, so have to think they would go harder after Larkin if he were to accept Boston as a destination.
My guess it wasn’t as good as what Columbus got from the Leafs so Geekie, plus a guy like Locmelis? Plus some salary back, say Kuraly.
So kicking tires just in case more than pursuing hard IMO.
Probably have to take Elvis back as well.
Ray If I were betting man which I’m not I can’t even get replay on my lotto tickets, my wife gets $5 to ten bucks every time she plays, but if I were a betting man I would bet they would have asked for either Hagens or Létourneau in the trade. I know Larkin doesn’t have Boston on his radar but hey the longer this mess in Detroit goes on, you never know.
Agree John, if Larkin id really serious about getting out of Detroit and Detroit is serious about immediate help, then something has to give.
I dunno, but Minny is the team that could really use a higher end C if they believe their window is open right now. But they gotta give to get, which likely means Boldy.
Bruins had nothing close to Knies to offer. Their prospect pool or players has quantity but not the quality that teams are looking for!
Sr.
Geekie scores way more than Krill with a low cap vs his new 12.5 mil for Krill. If he was offered sure CbJ. Would have been interested. But I would assume Sweeney never offered him in the package
Mrbruin4, if what you are saying is “Geekie scores more than Marchenko in terms of production in direct relation to cost off the cap” … then, yes, I’m sure Waddel would have jumped at that offer.
Geekie, with 414 NHL gp under his belt, has accumulated 111g 116a for 82-game averages of 22g 23a 45pts. However Marchenko, with 292 NHL gp, is significantly better with 102g 106a for 82-game averages of 29g 30a 59pts.
Just not around $7 mil per better.
George.
Pull up last couple years. Basically what I was trying to articulate is Geekie in the 5 mil range is much better value than Krill at 12. My issue is Geekie is streaky scorer I have only seen Krill 1/2 dozen times
I think teams question how many goals Geekie would score when not playing with Pasta. He played more minutes with him and Lindholm than any other combination.
Hey I hope Geekie keeps on scoring, and a great value addition by Sweeney, but I question how well he would do if those minutes were cut back.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if the Blue Jackets sought Juraj Slafkovsky or Ivan Demidov, which would’ve been automatic deal-breakers for the Habs.”
My thoughts exactly.
What again…did Montréal think they world get Marchenko without giving up anything
Were you the Habs GM would you have traded either Slavkovski or Demidov for Marchenko, Don? Molson would have fired you on the spot for suggesting that trade, and deservedly so.
CBJ needed a player of equivalency. Montreal could only offer picks or promising prospects (Engstrom, Beck, possibly a 3rd line player).
There’s no mystery here, this has all been discussed widely in the media.
They weren’t giving a player that is arguably better then Marchenko. They were offering prospects and Draft picks but CBJ didn’t want that.
I have to wonder if a skull fracture to Brock Faber, puts Guerin in the running for Nikishkin. Faber most likely is out for the season.
Horrible news about Faber, wishing him and his family all the best and god speed to his healing. We saw the life altering injury in Wpg with Bryan Little that prematurely ended his career, my prayers are that he recovers well.
Yes that sounds pretty brutal
Hoping no lingering effects
True that boys.
And lingering effects are a possibility MB4, so hope not. It’s crazy that he went back out for a few shifts.
You don’t make a trade to be a nice guy, you take advantage of a situation. Team is up against the cap, team has injuries and need replacements, team is aging and needs to get younger etc.
You expect “your team’s GM” to isolate and take advantage of those situations.
Waddell was up against the wall, it makes sense that Hughes and Sweeney made pitches to take advantage and Waddell chose to wait.
He got lucky and found Chayka.
As for Kirby Dach and his ties to Bowman, maybe those ties exist but Dach is only being traded as part of a package in my opinion. A big Right shot C only 25y/o is a temptation for somebody. The Oilers don’t have the cap space, they’d have to send Podkolzin back and Oilers would laugh at that.
He’s very well liked in the room and Hughes is giving him every opportunity to deliver on the ice.
The only consolation, and this is digging deep, is that none of the injuries are to his head like Filip Chytil.
Rocket Richard had 3 separate injuries, in 3 consecutive years. a broken ankle, broken wrist, and a broken arm, was considered to be too fragile and then he took off.
No I’m not suggesting Kirby Dach will be an all-star player, just that he’s being given the time to deliver to expectation.
If he has a good year this season, Bowman will make a call.
If he has a good year this year, will Hughes take the call?
LMAO!! 🙄🙄🙄