Report: Marchenko wanted to be traded to the Canadiens over the Leafs

The NHL trade market is full of behind-the-scenes drama that rarely makes it to the public, but every once in a while, a juicy nugget slips through the cracks. With the 2026-27 season opener between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens just around the corner, a pair of NHL insiders have shed light on the backstory of one of the offseason's biggest blockbusters, and it turns out the Kirill Marchenko deal has layers that fans on both sides of the rivalry are going to want to know about.

According to reports from both Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and Darren Dreger on TSN, the star winger acquired by Toronto from the Columbus Blue Jackets actually had his heart set on playing in Montreal. That's right. Marchenko preferred the Canadiens. The reason? He wanted to team up with fellow Russian and young Habs sensation Ivan Demidov. The two players share the same agent, which naturally fueled conversations about the possibility of reuniting them under one roof at the Bell Centre.

How Toronto Outmaneuvered Montreal

The Canadiens were reportedly very much in the mix to land Marchenko, with GM Kent Hughes working hard to strike a deal with Columbus counterpart Don Waddell. However, the Blue Jackets had a clear demand: they wanted a young, impact-ready player coming back the other way. Montreal simply was not willing to part with that caliber of asset. Hughes reportedly refused to sacrifice a core young piece like Juraj Slafkovsky, and without that type of return, Columbus felt the Canadiens' offers fell short.

That's where Leafs GM John Chayka swooped in. According to Dreger, discussions between Toronto and Columbus actually began around July 1, initially centered on defenseman Zach Werenski with Matthew Knies as part of the package. When it became apparent that Marchenko would not re-sign in Columbus, the conversation shifted, and Chayka stayed persistent. Once the Blue Jackets opened the door to Marchenko offers, it became what Dreger described as a "Canadian showdown" between the Leafs and Habs.

Ultimately, Chayka's willingness to include Knies, a highly attractive young player on a team-friendly deal, was the difference-maker. Columbus got the immediate roster contributor they were looking for, and Toronto landed the dynamic goal-scoring winger. Montreal, despite Marchenko's personal preference, simply couldn't match the price.

LeBrun also added an interesting financial wrinkle. Had the Canadiens managed to pull off the trade, the organization believed they could have signed Marchenko to a contract below the $12.5 million AAV he ultimately received from Toronto. That means Montreal might have gotten the player for less money and with the player's full buy-in, but the cost of acquisition was always the sticking point.

What This Means Going Forward

For Montreal, the decision reflects a commitment to their long-term rebuild. Hughes clearly values his young core and was not about to gut the future for a single acquisition, no matter how talented. The dream pairing of Marchenko and Demidov will remain just that: a dream.

For Toronto, Chayka's aggressive approach paid off in landing a proven scorer, though the price of giving up Knies is not insignificant. Whether the trade ultimately tips in the Leafs' favor will depend entirely on how Marchenko performs in the blue and white.

The whole saga adds an extra layer of intrigue to the Leafs-Canadiens rivalry heading into the season opener. Every time Marchenko touches the puck at the Bell Centre, Habs fans will be reminded of what could have been, and Leafs fans will have their GM to thank for pulling off the heist. It is one of those storylines that will follow both franchises for years to come, especially if Marchenko becomes the difference-maker Toronto is banking on him to be.