The Toronto Maple Leafs have already cashed in with the Columbus Blue Jackets when they traded Matthew Knies, who headlined the blockbuster deal, in a package for Kirill Marchenko, Miles Wood, and Elvis Merzlikins.
With the dust now settled, the Leafs should be all over another of the Blue Jackets' Russian forwards, Dmitri Voronkov. The 26-year-old has not been a crazy point-getter in Columbus, mainly because he is still establishing himself in the NHL. Voronkov has only 217 games played where he has tallied up 115 points, which includes 58 goals and 57 assists.
Some teams calling with interest on winger Dmitri Voronkov. Not saying he will be traded for sure but CBJ listening.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 22, 2026
This season, he has only played six games while recording only two assists in that time. However, in past years, Voronkov has not been too bad for the Blue Jackets. Last season, he played 63 games and racked up 32 points (17 goals, 15 assists). In 2024-25, the Russian recorded 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists), a career high, in 73 games played.
Forward depth is always great to have; just look at Thursday's game against the New York Rangers, where the Leafs' depth was the reason they kept the game close and escaped with a narrow 5-4 win. But while scoring is important, Voronkov can easily bring something more triumphant to the roster.
The Angarsk native is a towering six-foot-five with 230 pounds on him. With that size, Voronkov could easily bully defenders and have quality chances in front of the net. According to NHL EDGE stats, he recorded 64 high danger shots on goal last season, ranking Voronkov in the 88th percentile. The year before, he had 82 of the same stat, where he ranked even higher in the 96th percentile.
The Leafs have an attractive asset to lure Voronkov in
As mentioned before, the Leafs shocked the hockey world when they traded for Marchenko. With his former teammate and fellow Russian in Toronto, it could motivate Voronkov to aim for the Leafs as a possible destination.
It's unclear what the cost of the 114th overall pick in 2019 is to Don Waddell, GM of the Blue Jackets. John Chayka might not want to split anyone from the Leafs' roster, given how well they have seemed to gel over the past few games. The ideal situation for Chayka and the Leafs would be to unload at least a couple of prospects, along with a draft pick or two, for Voronkov. This way, the Leafs get a big guy, and Columbus gets some blocks to start building their team with.
While there is certainly no guarantee that the Blue Jackets' forward will be dealt elsewhere, and that Columbus is just listening to offers for the sake of what they can get for him, the Leafs can cash in elsewhere for Voronkov. He is set to be an RFA in the summer, meaning Toronto can possibly offer sheet their way into bringing the forward to the Leafs.
Even though Voronkov has not put up a bunch of points early in his career, he can still be a strong piece in the Leafs' lineup. A big forward who can simply park in front of a goalie at the top of the blue paint and pounce on a rebound or deflect the puck in the net for a goal will be helpful.
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