What It Would Actually Cost To Land Kirill Marchenko
RG Media's Daria Tuboltseva reported last weekend that Marchenko was nearing a trade, with two clubs finalizing terms and his camp aware the talks are ongoing.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic pushed back on that.
"I was told that these current rumors of this trade being imminent are not factual," Portzline said. "My understanding is that the Blue Jackets have not had trade discussions involving Kirill Marchenko since that initial flurry right at the draft."
Even Marchenko's own agent, Dan Milstein, has been mocking the coverage, responding to one report with, "The confidence here is doing a lot of heavy lifting, shame it's not attached to anything real."
GM Don Waddell has publicly stated Marchenko will be a Blue Jacket when the season starts.
What Columbus Would Actually Ask For
While the "imminent" reports remain unconfirmed, the price tag conversation has gotten far more specific.
Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff was asked directly on TSN Radio Montreal what it would take out of the Montreal Canadiens to land Marchenko.
"You always jump to Reinbacher and Hage," Di Marco said. "If I'm Don Waddell, I'm asking for Michael Hage. You don't know what this future is surrounding Cayden Lindstrom, but he's had some back problems. A fourth overall pick, I believe, from two years ago, and you don't have much center depth beyond that."
Still one of the sicker goals I have witnessed. Kirill Marchenko with the bank shot. pic.twitter.com/e1u7W6HqyZ
— Phil (@PhilWeaks) July 28, 2026
Di Marco named Hage, Montreal's 2024 first-round pick, as the true starting point for Columbus, with defense prospect David Reinbacher as a fallback if Hage is off the table.
"I think Reinbacher, along with Michael Hage, have to be the ask or the starting point at least if you're Don Waddell," Di Marco said, adding that Columbus is deep on the left side of its blue line with Ivan Provorov, Denton Mateychuk, and Zach Werenski, making a right-shot defenseman like Reinbacher an appealing fit.
That is a significantly steeper price than simply attaching a mid-tier prospect and a roster player, and it may explain why nothing has actually closed despite weeks of rumors.
Why Columbus Isn't Rushing
Marchenko is under contract through next season and doesn't reach unrestricted free agency until 2028, meaning there's no deadline forcing Columbus to accept a discount.
One real deadline is emerging, though. September 16 is the cutoff for players to sign eight-year contract extensions, as a potential trigger date if Marchenko won't commit long-term in Columbus but might elsewhere.
Here is Kirill Marchenko wearing Blue Jackets stuff. Looking good Kirill! CBJ!!!!!!!! @F1RETHECANNON https://t.co/nEqNjlSthB pic.twitter.com/IrboR1SvbP
— Union Blue Soldiers (@TheUBSoldiers) July 30, 2026
Who's Actually Circling
Montreal remains the team most persistently linked, with Frank Seravalli reporting the Canadiens were prepared to make a massive offer.
The Canadiens and Utah Mammoth were recently named as frontrunners among three teams in the mix, and the Buffalo Sabres have also surfaced as a stealth suitor given GM Jarmo Kekalainen originally drafted Marchenko in Columbus.
Marchenko, 26, is coming off a career year with 27 goals and 40 assists for 67 points in 76 games, leading Columbus in goals for a third straight season on a bargain $3.85 million cap hit.
