It may come as a bit of a surprise, but just literally weeks after being a huge part of a blockbuster trade between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Columbus Blue Jackets, defenseman Emil Andrae has been placed on waivers by the Blue Jackets. Andrae was among the players in the Maple Leafs return package that also included centrepiece Matthew Knies and Steven Lorentz that was sent to Columbus to acquire rising star Kirill Marchenko prior to the start of the 2026-27 NHL season.
Former Maple Leafs player put on waivers just weeks after being part of a blockbuster trade
Following the trade deal, the young 24-year-old defenseman had suited up in only five games for the Blue Jackets this season, recording two assists with a shot on goal and four penalty minutes. Andrae was also a +3, registering five blocked shots and four hits while averaging just a little over ten minutes of ice time per game. Those were certainly decent numbers for a growing young defender, but with the rise of Denton Mateychuk along with the reliance on more veteran defenders in the lineup for Columbus, it has likely squeezed Andrae out of a role with the Blue Jackets for the time being.
If the 24-year-old defenseman passses through waivers, he could be assigned to the Blue Jackets’ AHL-affiliate Cleveland Monsters to serve as defensive depth for the organization. However, prospective teams will likely consider taking a shot at Andrae, given the steady performance that he showed with the Philadelphia Flyers last season. In 61 games of action, he posted two goals, 11 assists for 13 points along with a +15 in helping the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Not only that, his skills must be highly regarded given that the Maple Leafs made him the centrepiece in the return package from Philadelphia when former Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit were traded to the Flyers. Many had also expected Andrae to be part of the Maple Leafs rotation on defense to start the 2026-27 season before he had to be included in the Marchenko-Knies blockbuster trade.
The Maple Leafs appear to be winning that trade in the early going thus far, with Marchenko performing at a point-per-game pace with Toronto prior to his lower-body injury while Knies has struggled mightily following a strong start to his tenure with the Blue Jackets. So if Columbus ends up losing Andrae as well for nothing, it essentially would heavily tilt the trade even more in Toronto’s favour, making it one of the smartest moves made by Leafs GM John Chayka so far for the organization.
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