The Maple Leafs tried to keep their interest in Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko quiet. As of Friday morning, that plan is over.
"Toronto, I think has really tried to keep their interest secret, but it's kind of seeped out," Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast.
The Leafs have company. Friedman also listed the Canadiens, Islanders, Jets, Bruins, Golden Knights and Kraken as interested to some degree.
He pointed to fit, too, with Marchenko reportedly no longer a cultural match under Rick Bowness.
The noise hasn't slowed him down. The forward scored shorthanded in a 4-0 preseason win over Pittsburgh last night and logged 17:14.
It's the second straight day his name has moved. Nick Kypreos reported on Sportsnet that Marchenko desperately wants out of Columbus.
So why would Toronto bother hiding it in the first place?
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Because seven interested teams is a seller's dream. Don Waddell can let them bid against each other, and every extra bidder pushes the price in one direction.
Think of an estate sale where seven people are already waiting on the porch before the doors open. Nobody inside is haggling.
Toronto's issue is what's already on the books. The Leafs carry Auston Matthews at $13,250,000 and William Nylander at $11,500,000.
The Leafs are the wrong team to win this auction. Paying top dollar against six other bidders is how a cap sheet ends up top-heavy by March.
Two of the interested clubs meet Tuesday, when Jim Hiller's Leafs host Martin St-Louis's Canadiens on opening night.
The Jets are the strangest name on the list. Kevin Cheveldayoff is still trying to find a Connor Hellebuyck trade his goalie will approve.
The Golden Knights, meanwhile, already pay Jack Eichel $13,500,000 and Mitch Marner $12,000,000.
The Bruins have their own money tied up in David Pastrnak at $11,250,000, so Don Sweeney would need to get creative too.
The Blue Jackets visit Detroit on Saturday before opening at home against Buffalo on October 1.
The Leafs come to Columbus on October 20. If nothing's done by then, that building gets awkward fast.
Toronto wanted this quiet. Now six rivals are listening to the same podcast, and Waddell gets to decide how long he wants the bidding to run.
Source : Elliotte Friedman reveals Maple Leafs' secret pursuit of Kirill Marchenko
Should the Maple Leafs keep chasing Kirill Marchenko even if it means outbidding six other teams?
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