John Chayka held a media availability on Monday afternoon to talk about the end of training camp and the final roster decisions. The general manager was asked if he was looking forward to seeing the players put trade rumours behind them and focus on playing games. “I don’t know if the trade rumours will ever stop around here,” he said with a smile. Hours later, Chayka pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal acquiring 26-year-old winger Kirill Marchenko from the Blue Jackets as part of a deal that saw 23-year-old winger Matthew Knies go to Columbus. The Leafs promptly signed Marchenko, who was due to become a restricted free agent after this season, to a six-year, $75 million extension ($12.5 million annual-average value). Marchenko’s cap hit this season is $3.85-million. Knies, who skated in his regular spot beside Auston Matthews on the top line at Monday’s practice, had been the focus of trade speculation dating back to last year’s deadline. “Matthew is a big, strong power forward who combines tough, hard-nosed physical play with outstanding offensive skills,” said Jackets general manager Don Wadell in a statement issued by the team. “He is a young player with great character and work ethic and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Blue Jackets family.” Knies is in the second year of a six-year deal that carries a $7.75 million cap hit. Chayka is scheduled to address the media on Tuesday morning ahead of the season opener against the Montreal Canadiens. As part of the trade, Columbus also received left-shot defenceman Emil Andrae and winger Steven Lorentz, as well as a second-round selection in the 2027 draft. Toronto also received goalie Elvis Merzlikins and forward Miles Wood as part of the deal. The Jackets are retaining 18 per cent of Merzlikins’ $5.4 million salary. He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. The Marchenko trade is the latest move made by Chayka as part of a dramatic roster refresh. If Marchenko plays on Tuesday, 10 of the 20 players dressing for the Leafs will be new to the team. “It’s the Toronto Maple Leafs, expectations are high,” Chayka said before making Monday’s deal. “They should be. We’re certainly not asking anybody to lower their standards. I think we got a good group. The uncertainty is you’ve got a lot of new faces coming together. We think if we can get some chemistry and kind of get everybody on the same page – it’s a difficult schedule early as well – [if] we can kind of get acclimated and get in a good spot through November, should have a good season.” Chayka was hired in May after Toronto cratered to 28th overall and missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Asked why he is confident the team can rebound this season, Matthews pointed to a new energy around the group. “Well, I mean, there’s a lot of change, right,” the star centre said in a media availability before the Marchenko trade. “A lot of change, top to bottom, management, coaches, to the leadership, to the players. I think it starts from the top and gets down to the coaches to the players, and making sure you come to the rink every day and just bring the juice a little bit. Have some fun, work hard and I think that just trickles through the locker room and everyone gets excited and all 20-plus guys [are] rowing the same boat.” --- Matthews is eligible to sign an extension next summer, which has added to the sense of urgency around the team. With the captain under contract, the contention window is more likely to remain open. Chayka believes the 29-year-old is poised to have a big year despite posting a career-low in goals and points last season and coming off knee surgery. “Coming in, he’s lighter,” Chayka noted. “He’s leaner. I think he worked with some of the best people in the world on his rehab and then through his training. I think that just paid dividends for him. All of our internal skating data suggests this is the best he’s skated over the last five years. So he looks good, looks healthy. You know, it looks like he’s in good spirits. From our side, he’s been nothing short of a perfect captain, and I expect that when the puck drops.” Matthews posted 27 goals and 53 points in 60 games last season. His year ended on March 12 when he sustained a Grade 3 tear of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee courtesy a hit by Radko Gudas. “I feel good,” Matthews said. “Two pre-seasons, a quick camp, but I feel like every practice day you come here and you just try to get a little bit better, feel a little bit better, you know, get your legs under you a little bit more, your timing and stuff like that and same thing with the games. It was two quick games, but a lot of good positive momentum from one to two and you want to continue to carry that.” Matthews scored on a vintage snipe in the pre-season finale last Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators. New head coach Jim Hiller appreciates how Matthews has approached the season. “We’ve seen him day after day,” Hiller said. “I think that’s the one thing that’s really impressed me is just how he’s been day after day, you know, leading the team in the room and on the ice. His practice habits have been just phenomenal. They really have. So I’ve just been really impressed.” Hiller is implementing a fast-paced system, which is different than the dump-and-chase approach favoured by predecessor Craig Berube. “In the end it’s moving your feet, skating on both sides of the puck and making sure, you know, guys have freedom to make plays when there’s plays to be made,” Matthews said. “And if you make a mistake it’s no trouble, just work to get back and try to support each other all throughout the ice and that frees guys up a little bit, which is great.” Matthews ended training camp on a high when the team travelled to his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona for a bonding retreat. “It was nice hosting,” Matthews said when asked about his favourite moment from the two-day swing. “Nice to have the guys over.” Matthews had the players over to his home on Thursday night after they landed. “It was phenomenal,” said centre John Tavares. “I know how excited he was for it. Being there with him and the rest of the guys, we had a blast.” --- It was 10 years ago that Matthews scored four goals in his NHL debut. “Yeah, I’ve been told many times,” Gavin McKenna, the latest Leaf to be picked first overall, said with a big smile. “So, yeah, high expectations for myself.” McKenna quickly makes it clear, he’s not thinking about lighting up the scoresheet on Tuesday when he plays in the NHL for the first time. “That’s not something I’m too worried about,” the left winger stressed. “I just want to go out there and play my game and I think if I can contribute in ways like battling off the puck and stuff like that, I think that will lead to a good night. So I’m not trying to think of that.” McKenna will be thinking, instead, of the 14 people, who made the trip all the way from Whitehorse to be in the building to cheer him on. “I have a decent crew here,” he noted. “Yeah, I never get to play in front of people from my hometown and my family. It’s special, so I’m looking forward to it.” What’s he feeling on the eve of this much-anticipated moment? “Just excitement,” the 18-year-old said. “Yeah, I actually had a dream like two days ago about my first game and it went good, so hopefully that’s the case. But, yeah, I’m just excited. It’s a day I’ve been dreaming of for a while now and for it to finally be here, it’s going to be pretty special.” What happened in the dream? Did he score? “I don’t know my stat line,” McKenna grinned. “But I think it was a good game.” McKenna has a track record of making an immediate impression. He posted four assists in his first Western Hockey League game and two assists in his first period of NCAA play. McKenna also scored in his first game at the World Juniors. “I think there’s a pretty special inner drive and a confidence of what he’s capable of doing and what he can be and who he is as a player and a person so that has been impressive so far,” said Tavares, who invited McKenna to live with him and his family this season. McKenna performed well in his two pre-season games and picked up an assist in the finale against Ottawa. “He’s adjusted really well,” said Hiller. “Maybe better than we thought he would just through these first 10 days.” The team is doing its best to manage expectations for McKenna who played on the second line and second power-play unit during camp. “He had a good camp,” said Chayka. “Looked good in the pre-season. We all know it ramps up into the regular season, but he’s the first overall pick for a reason. I think he showed a lot of those glimpses as to why. At the same time, he’s an 18-year-old kid, and it’s going to be ups and downs, and we just hope we can support him through that and put him in a spot where, both in the short term and the long term, he’s an important part for the Toronto Maple Leafs. But he’s done and delivered on everything so far that we could have expected.” --- Sergei Bobrovsky is set to make his first start with the Leafs on Tuesday night. What is the ideal number of starts for the 38-year-old? “Actually we thought about it less as [the] number of starts and some of the context around those starts,” Chayka said. “So we got a pretty good plan with the coaches, with the goalie coaches, with Bob himself, trying to put him and [Anthony Stolarz] in positions to have success. And it tells you the kind of guy he is, when we talk to him about his plan and his schedule, you know, he says, ‘It’s important to me that we’re putting Anthony Stolarz in a position to have success too, and we’re thoughtful of his game.’ And I’ve never heard a starting goalie think about that. So it just shows you where his mindset’s at.” Stolarz has struggled with injuries over the years and has never played more than 34 games in an NHL season. Bobrovsky has appeared in at least 50 games in each of the last five seasons. --- Winger Dakota Joshua continues to skate in a regular sweater, but will be out week-to-week with a lingering core injury, Chayka said. --- Lines in Monday’s practice: Knies - Matthews - Roslovic McKenna - Tavares - Nylander Cowan - Paul - Sissons Duhaime - Blueger - MacEwen Joshua, Groulx McCabe - Tanev Rielly - Raddysh Ekman-Larsson - Stecher Andrae - Blankenburg Bobrovsky Stolarz Power play units in Monday’s practice: QB: Raddysh Flanks: Matthews, Nylander Middle: Roslovic Net front: Tavares QB: Rielly Flanks: Cowan, McKenna Middle: Paul Net front: Knies
