NHL Rumors: Marchenko Fake News, Why on Knies Trade, and a Kucherov Warning

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Kirill Marchenko and Matthew Knies were moved in a blockbuster deal. How far back did talks go? Why were the Toronto Maple Leafs willing to trade Knies? Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nikita Kucherov still haven’t reached an extension, and one insider suggests it could be a situation where the Lightning draw a line in the sand. Where do things stand between the Detroit Red Wings and Simon Edvinsson?

Maple Leafs Had Prolonged Interest in Marchenko

Kirill Marchenko’s interesting offseason took a big turn Monday when he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a multi-player deal that included Matthew Knies. After being linked heavily to the Montreal Canadiens, the Leafs stepped up and acquired Marchenko in a deal that included a six-year, $75 million extension with Toronto.

Aaron Portlzine of The Athletic reports: “GM Don Waddell said talks with the Leafs were on-again, off-again for weeks. Sparked back up today and got really serious when news of a possible deal was made public. Waddell said no “real, serious” talks toward a trade with other clubs because they couldn’t get the “today” return.”

Marchenko is now working through visa paperwork to get to Toronto as quickly as possible, although it wasn’t yet confirmed whether he would be available for the team’s next game.

The move also comes after a report from Andrew Raycroft suggested Marchenko arrived at camp out of shape, which Marchenko’s agent has disputed. “Kirill’s conditioning has NEVER been a topic. Andrew’s [Raycroft] relevance, on the other hand…”

Why Did the Maple Leafs Trade Knies?

After the deal, many are asking why the Maple Leafs were willing to trade Matthew Knies. Everything from injury odds to past trade chatter to a data-driven approach has been mentioned as theories.

Speaking on Real Kyper & Bourne, Elliotte Friedman suggested Toronto’s decision was less about concerns over the player himself and more about how the organization evaluated his future value. Friedman said the only concerns he had heard involved Knies’ injury history, but emphasized that nobody characterized him as a bad player or person.

Others wonder if Knies was the only real trade piece the Leafs could dangle and since the Blue Jackets wanted a player who could help them now, it was the one deal that would be accepted.

Bryan Hayes wondered whether the Leafs had data suggesting they needed to sell high on Knies. Given that two different management teams have thought about trading Knies, and one did, Hayes wondered if the numbers told the Maple Leafs that Knies as an asset wouldn’t be worth as much down the line. “This is the first analytical trade the team has pulled off. They have some sort of data that this is a piece that will lose value over time,” said Hayes.

Kucherov Extension Talks Continue in Tampa Bay

Nikita Kucherov and the Tampa Bay Lightning still haven’t reached an extension, and Elliotte Friedman believes the timing could eventually become significant. On the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman noted that it is unusual for a player viewed as this important to Lightning GM Julien BriseBois to go this long without a new deal. If negotiations continue to drag, Friedman suggested it could mean BriseBois has made an offer he is unwilling to improve.

Pierre LeBrun didn’t see a reason to be concerned. At least, not yet. He’s reporting that everyone involved appears comfortable with the process. Kucherov reportedly wants to stay, Tampa wants him long term, and plenty of time remains before free agency.

Edvinsson Situation Remains Unresolved

Simon Edvinsson remains unsigned with the Detroit Red Wings. Shawn Horcoff confirmed that Edvinsson is not currently practicing with the team and said the organization will continue conversations with the defenseman and his representatives.

With the season approaching, the Red Wings still have work to do to get one of their important young defensemen under contract.