According to RG.org, Daria Tuboltseva, the Montreal Canadiens' reported trade target, Kirill Marchenko, from the Columbus Blue Jackets, is likely to move soon. The reporter mentions that a source close to the player has said that the Jackets and another team are currently finalizing the terms of a trade and that he is therefore between teams as of now. The Ohio outfit’s offseason got off to a disastrous start when it leaked out that Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Zach Werenski and power forward Kirill Marchenko were both unlikely to re-up with the team once their current contract runs out.
It became very public that the Jackets had started taking trade calls on the defenseman before GM Don Waddell released a statement, saying that he would remain with the team for the foreseeable future. Werenski did the same on his end. Waddell didn’t stop there; he also told reporters that Marchenko would be going nowhere this summer and would start the season in Columbus, despite entering the last year of his contract.
Tuboltseva’s report contradicts the GM’s stance, but it’s hardly surprising if Waddell and co. know that they won’t be able to sign the power forward to a new contract; moving him makes sense. Marchenko, a Dan Milstein client, is embarking on the third year of a three-year deal with a very team-friendly $3.85 million cap hit. However, the player is not in full control of his situation: unlike players like Jason Robertson or Dylan Larkin, he doesn’t have a no-movement clause, meaning Waddell can trade him to whichever team he wants, and he doesn’t get a say in the matter.
However, to maximize the return he can get, Waddell would do well to make a sign-and-trade deal, as he’s unlikely to get very much value by trading Marchenko on an expiring deal, even if he will be an RFA at the end of the season and the team will therefore still hold his rights.
According to the article, the Canadiens remain very much interested in Marchenko, which is hardly surprising given he’s exactly what Montreal needs to dynamize its second line and help Ivan Demidov unlock his full potential. He’s 6-foot-3 and 201 pounds and has the size and the speed to retrieve pucks in the corners to keep the play going. He’s just turned 26, and he’s never scored less than 21 goals in his four NHL seasons, even breaking the 30-goal mark once when he gathered 31 lamplighters in 2024-25. He finished the last campaign with 27 goals, 40 assists and 67 points, 23 of which came on the power play. He has a lethal shot, with a 13.6% shooting rate over the course of his career, including a 12.4% success rate last season.
Kirill Marchenko (#86) All 27 Goals of the 2025-26 NHL SeasonKirill Marchenko’s 27 goals scored in the 2025-26 NHL season. Comment a player for next!-------------------------------------------Check Out These Hockey Ch...If the Canadiens are the team that’s finalizing the terms of the trade with the Jackets, fans should brace themselves for a high cost. Waddell isn’t handcuffed by an NMC here, and the Jackets are not a rebuilding side, which means that at least part of the package would have to be players that can land in their lineup now. Offering Kirby Dach and Jayden Struble certainly won’t be enough; that’s not to say that they couldn’t be included in a package, but they’d be add-ons rather than main pieces.
If Kent Hughes does a good selling job, perhaps he could interest Waddell in a player like Zachary Bolduc, who’s a former first-round pick with potential yet to be fully reached. If the Jackets know that Werenski won’t sign a new deal, they could also be after some help on the blueline, but you don’t replace your number one defenseman with a sixth or seventh blueliner. Kaiden Guhle is a left-shot defenseman, and while he’s not the same style as Werenski, he’s got a good pedigree and brings an interesting blend of skills to the table.
The Jackets could also ask for some futures to complete the deal; a first-round pick and a top prospect wouldn’t be an outlandish idea. Hughes is unlikely to include Michael Hage in a trade that doesn’t land him a center, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Columbus were after someone like Alexander Zharovsky, who may not have been a first-round pick but is still seen as an elite prospect. Someone like Adam Engstrom, who’s an NHL-ready blueliner who can play on both sides, could also be of interest for a team that’s not looking to rebuild.
The Canadiens are no longer at the stage where they just acquire talented assets to see if they work out; they now have very specific needs for which they will be willing to pay a hefty price tag. They'll have to, as their trading partner will be well aware of how keen they are to get those specific missing pieces.
Granted, that might be seen as a hefty price tag, but Hughes wouldn’t be trading from a position of force there. Waddell has something the Canadiens are very keen to acquire, and he’s entitled to set the price here. You’ve got to give something to get something, especially when you’re the initiating party.
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