As the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs prepare for their first meeting since the Matthew Knies-Kirill Marchenko blockbuster trade, Adam Fantilli expressed relief Tuesday that Marchenko's murky future with Columbus didn't linger into the regular season.
"Happy we got guys who want to be here," Fantilli said, per Blue Jackets reporter Dave Maetzold. "It would have been a nightmare having a guy that didn't want to be here all year. I'm glad we got that trade done when we did."
The deal was finalized a day before the start of the regular season. Marchenko, who was a pending restricted free agent before signing a six-year extension with the Maple Leafs after the trade, was noncommittal about his future with the Blue Jackets during training camp. His response intensified speculation after reports in the summer indicated he wasn't interested in signing an extension with the club.
A second-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2018, Marchenko recorded 218 points in 302 games with Columbus.
Knies was nearly dealt at last season's trade deadline, and rumors about his availability on the trade market persisted throughout the summer. The 24-year-old admitted Tuesday that he was surprised to be traded on the eve of the regular season.
"Going into training camp, going through all the preseason games, the timing of it all, that's what shocked me," Knies told The Athletic's Joshua Kloke.
He added, "It just came up over and over and (the trade) felt like it was something they needed to do."
Knies notched four points in his first two games with the Blue Jackets but has been held scoreless in five contests since. Marchenko has 10 points in 10 games with Toronto, highlighted by a hat trick against the Buffalo Sabres last week.
