What happened: Pierre LeBrun said Montreal fell short in its pursuit of Kirill Marchenko from Columbus. The update followed Montreal's first win of the 2026-27 preseason.

Why it matters: Toronto instead acquired Marchenko with Elvis Merzlikins for Matthew Knies. Marchenko then agreed to a six-year extension carrying a $12.5M average annual value.

What to watch: Montreal continues preseason with open top-six minutes still unsettled. Attention turns to whether the club pivots to another trade target before opening night.