Canadiens Making Trade Calls For Blue Jackets' Kirill Marchenko
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Canadiens are curious about Kirill Marchenko, the Blue Jackets winger entering the final year of his contract before becoming a restricted free agent.
Canadiens President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton spoke on the team's aggressive approach when speaking to media this week, even if he stopped short of promising anything.
"We're going to make calculated decisions on things we're doing," Gorton said. "Would we like to improve our team? Yes. Are we actively calling everybody, talking, looking at different situations? Yes. But honestly, we don't feel the pressure from anywhere else to do anything that doesn't fit into what we want to do."
Gorton added that the market is intense.
"I feel like there's a lot more buyers than sellers," he said. "So, the market's intense. We see that, we're making our calls and looking at a lot of different things. We'll see what happens."
Why Marchenko Fits Montreal
The Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference Final last season and are looking to add a top-six forward, with a left winger to play alongside Ivan Demidov among their priorities.
Marchenko fits that need.
The 25-year-old racked up 67 points in 76 games with Columbus in 2025-26, following a 31-goal breakout the year before, and has 102 goals and 106 assists for 208 points across 292 career NHL games.
He is a 6-foot-3, 201-pound winger who, like Demidov, played for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL before coming to North America, a connection that makes the fit alongside Montreal's young star intriguing.
Per David Pagnotta, multiple teams have called about Kirill Marchenko, and Columbus is listening. Any deal would likely require a significant overpay to get the Blue Jackets to move him pic.twitter.com/ZqSOVmBNuX
— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) June 25, 2026
The links may seem odd at first, since the Canadiens have been widely reported to be seeking a center, but Kent Hughes has indicated he could pivot to a winger if the center market proves too costly.
Montreal has been balking at the asking price for Anaheim's Mason McTavish, making a winger like Marchenko an increasingly logical alternative.
His contract is a major part of the appeal.
Marchenko carries a bargain $3.85 million cap hit through the 2026-27 season, after which he becomes a restricted free agent likely commanding around $8 million annually on his next deal.
The Canadiens have the cap flexibility to give him that raise for 2027-28 and beyond, where a lower-budget franchise like Columbus may be more hesitant.
The Noah Dobson Blueprint
The reason this situation is worth monitoring is because of what Montreal did last summer.
Marco D'Amico of RG Media drew a parallel to the Noah Dobson situation, when the Canadiens capitalized on a restricted free agent standoff between Dobson and the New York Islanders to acquire the defenseman.
Teams may be calling on Kirill Marchenko, but sources indicate CBJ isn't interested in dealing him.
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) June 23, 2026
Marchenko, one year from RFA status, could find himself in a similar position if he and the Blue Jackets appear far apart in contract talks.
"Sources say CLB doesn't want to trade him, though, but they're open to offers," D'Amico noted. "Something to keep an eye on."
Columbus Is Listening, Not Shopping
The Blue Jackets have been firm that Marchenko is not available.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported he has been assured Columbus is not trying to trade Marchenko, adding that the fact his name is even being mentioned should give an indication of the scale and magnitude of the trades Don Waddell has been discussing.
Frank Seravalli reported that teams have been calling Waddell about Marchenko for the last couple of weeks, with his name percolating in the rumor mill, but that the Blue Jackets are not seeking to move a burgeoning star who would be incredibly difficult to replace.
Portzline noted Waddell is listening to a wide array of offers but is not interested in simply shedding salary, meaning Columbus would only move a key player if it received something similar in return.
That creates a challenge for Montreal.
The Canadiens are more likely to build an offer around prospects and draft picks than NHL-ready players, and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic recently ranked Montreal's prospect pool ninth in the league.
Hughes has said he would rather overpay in the right trade than for a free agent, which suggests Montreal could be willing to part with a package built around a prospect like Alexander Zharovsky, additional young pieces, and draft capital if it decides Marchenko is the addition that pushes them into another level of contention.
Given that Marchenko has another year on his deal and Columbus is in no rush, any trade would most likely come after the June 26-27 draft.
