BLOCKBUSTER TRADE: Marchenko, Merzlikins and Wood sent to Toronto for Matthew Knies and more

Bob McElligott heard the Blue Jackets might be making a deal with Toronto, so he did the only reasonable thing: drove to Canada. (He was already driving home from Watertown, N.Y., and his son wanted to see Niagara Falls. It counts.)

Hours before the 5 p.m. roster deadline, Don Waddell pulled off the biggest swing this franchise has taken in years. Kirill Marchenko, Elvis Merzlikins and Miles Wood go to the Maple Leafs. Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae and a second-round pick originally belonging to Seattle come to Columbus. Marchenko signs a six-year extension in Toronto at $12.5 million a year.

In this special edition:

• Why Bob loves the deal, and why a player who became a distraction had to go• Marchenko's 208 points against Knies' size and toughness, and why the numbers don't tell the whole story• Merzlikins: the rocky start, the Korpisalo contrast, the loss of Matiss Kivlenieks, and a genuine send-off from Bob• Getting it done without long-term injured reserve, with Columbus reportedly retaining part of Merzlikins' salary• Your chat questions: "does he like Columbus," will Mathieu Olivier hit him on Oct. 20, and can Marchenko survive the Toronto media?• Porty on how Waddell worked the phones, why Toronto got "a Ferrari" and Columbus got "a Range Rover," and a frank read on how Marchenko had checked out in camp• How Jody Shelley's career started, and why the old grudge games are gone• What Knies means for Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson• Marchenko's WWE heel turn, and why Panarin and Bobrovsky never hated Columbus• Jack Williams to Cleveland, and Luca Del Bel Belluz's chance to stick

Toronto visits Nationwide Arena on October 20. The Blue Jackets open Thursday against Buffalo.

Join us tomorrow night at 7 for the preseason predictions roundtable.