Kirill Marchenko’s name has refused to quiet down this summer, even as the reporting around him continues to contradict itself at every turn.
Last weekend, RG Media’s Daria Tuboltseva reported that Marchenko was nearing a trade, with two clubs finalizing terms and his camp aware that talks were ongoing. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic shut that down almost immediately. “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, took a direct shot at the coverage. “The confidence here is doing a lot of heavy lifting, shame it’s not attached to anything real,” Milstein said. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell has been equally blunt in public, stating that Marchenko will be a Blue Jacket when the season starts.
Marchenko remains under contract through next season and does not reach unrestricted free agency until 2028. Columbus has zero pressure to accept a discounted return.
That reality makes the actual asking price the most interesting part of the story.
When Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff was asked what it would take for the Montreal Canadiens to land Marchenko, he did not hesitate. “You always jump to Reinbacher and Hage,” Di Marco said. “If I’m Don Waddell, I’m asking for Michael Hage.”
Di Marco pointed to uncertainty surrounding Columbus prospect Cayden Lindstrom—the fourth-overall pick from two years ago still dealing with back problems—as a reason the Jackets may need center help beyond their current group. “I think Reinbacher, along with Michael Hage, have to be the ask or the starting point at least if you’re Don Waddell,” he said.
Columbus is already deep on the left side of its blue line with Ivan Provorov, Denton Mateychuk, and Zach Werenski. That depth makes a right-shot defenseman like David Reinbacher an appealing piece in any return. Werenski just posted 22 goals and 59 assists for 81 points in 75 games—the kind of production that reduces any urgency to add another high-end prospect on the same side.
One concrete deadline is beginning to form. September 16 is the cutoff for eight-year contract extensions. That date could force Marchenko toward a decision if he is unwilling to commit long-term in Columbus.
Montreal remains the team most persistently linked. Frank Seravalli has reported that the Canadiens were prepared to make a massive offer. The Utah Mammoth have also been named among the frontrunners, while the Buffalo Sabres have quietly surfaced—logical given that current Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen originally drafted Marchenko in Columbus.
Marchenko, 26, is coming off a career year: 27 goals and 40 assists for 67 points in 76 games. He has led the Blue Jackets in goals for three straight seasons. All of that production arrives at a modest $3.85 million cap hit, which explains why the asking price keeps climbing every time the rumors resurface.
For Kent Hughes and the Canadiens, the price is no longer abstract. If Montreal wants Marchenko, the conversation starts with Michael Hage—and likely includes David Reinbacher as well. Anything less, and Don Waddell has every reason to keep his leading goal-scorer right where he is.