Ice hockey: the main stories of 28.09.2026

Toronto now have the forward Columbus had refused to give away cheaply. Kirill Marchenko has signed a six-year, $75m contract with the Maple Leafs after a trade from the Blue Jackets, his agent Dan Milstein said. That works out at about $12.5m a season for a player who had 67 points (27+40) in 76 games last term. The move came together in a few hours: in the afternoon Elliott Friedman reported that Columbus had allowed Toronto to discuss a new deal, and by the evening it was done. On 27 September Don Waddell said Columbus had no plans to trade Marchenko for picks. The reports filed do not say what Columbus got back.

In Omsk, Metallurg beat Avangard 5-1 for a fifth straight win, and the press conferences got more attention than the game. Andrei Razin said there was no rift with Vladimir Tkachev, who, by his account, missed the game through illness. According to one outlet, Razin then turned on reporters. Guy Boucher, in remarks carried by a single report, said the score was 1-3 without the empty-net goals and that injuries were not the reason. Vladimir Plyushchev had argued that morning that a dozen injuries could not be chance. Separately, hunters in Tuva killed the bear that killed Andrei Kuzmenko's father. One report says the Penguins forward has changed his number.

• Traktor beat Dynamo Moscow 2-1 in overtime; afterwards Scott Gordon said he enjoys the Russian anthem.
• Semyon Vyazovoy stopped all 27 shots as Salavat Yulaev beat Torpedo 3-0, according to one report.
• Alexei Morozov said the KHL has no aim of artificial expansion, repeating what he said on 27 September.
• Sochi lost 1-4 to Shanghai, a reported 8th defeat in 9 games.
• Samoylov, Zhafyarov and Miromanov were named KHL players of the week.
• Dinamo Minsk beat Lada 5-1 in a game with a Lukin–Belkin fight; according to one report, Dmitry Kugryshev played his 900th KHL game.
• Ak Bars coach Anvar Gatiyatulin said Artyom Galimov probably needs surgery.
• St Louis sent Georgi Romanov to Springfield, one outlet reports.
• Spartak extended Nikolai Dronov to 2030.
• Florida signed Nathan Bastian to a one-year, two-way deal.
• Morozov wants a year to discuss the pre-game shootout idea and backed RUSADA over the Kamenev case.
• Jack Hughes welcomed Cale Makar's record deal.
• NHL Network ranked Connor McDavid first.
• The NHL regular season opens on Tuesday, 29 September: Ovechkin and the Russians.