The Columbus Blue Jackets placed defenseman Emil Andrae on waivers Wednesday after just five games with the club following the blockbuster trade that sent Kirill Marchenko to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The waiver move, which also included forward Danton Heinen, gives Andrae 24 hours to be claimed by another NHL team before he clears and is assigned to the Blue Jackets’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. In his five games this season, Andrae registered two assists, including one on a goal from Matthew Knies in the season-opening win over the Buffalo Sabres.
The trade, completed just before the 2026-27 season began, saw the Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Marchenko, forward Miles Wood and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins from Columbus. In return, Toronto sent Knies, Steven Lorentz, Andrae and a 2027 second-round draft pick to the Blue Jackets.
Heinen & Andrae (CLB) on waivers
Knies’ Scoring Drought Stuns Columbus
Matthew Knies scored twice and added an assist in his Blue Jackets debut in early October against Buffalo, but has not scored since and has registered a point in only one of his last 11 contests. The 23-year-old forward, who carries a $7.75 million salary cap hit on a six-year, $46.5 million contract signed through the 2030-31 season, is coming off a career-best campaign with Toronto in which he recorded 23 goals and 43 assists for 66 points in 79 games.
Marchenko Secures $75 Million Future in Toronto
While Knies has struggled to adjust, Marchenko arrived in Toronto with a six-year, $75 million contract extension carrying a $12.5 million average annual value that runs through the 2032-33 season. The deal, which begins next season, will rank below only Auston Matthews’ $13.25 million among Maple Leafs players. Marchenko, 26, led Columbus in goals last season with 27 and has scored at least 20 goals in each of his four NHL seasons, including a career-best 31 goals in 2024-25.
Andrae’s Brief Stop in Columbus
Andrae, 24, never played a game for the Maple Leafs after being traded to Toronto in June 2026 and signing a two-year, $3.1 million contract before being sent to Columbus in September. The defenseman developed through the Swedish system before signing with HV71 in 2020, moved to North America in 2023 with the Philadelphia Flyers’ AHL affiliate, and made his NHL debut that October. In 112 career NHL games, he has scored three goals with 19 assists.
Waiver Rules Explain Andrae’s Team Assignment
If he clears the 24-hour waiver period, Andrae will be assigned to the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus’s AHL affiliate.
Andrae’s placement on waivers comes just months after he was traded to Toronto in June 2026, a rapid reversal for a player who had yet to skate a game for the Maple Leafs before the September deal sent him to Columbus.