Kirill Marchenko and Rick Bowness keep pulling Columbus into trade noise, with 3 teams now linked to one of the Blue Jackets' best scorers.
The newest chatter ties Marchenko to the Flames, Blackhawks, and Kraken, which tells you this is not just one front office making a curiosity call.
That part makes sense. Marchenko is 25, he is coming off 67 points in 76 games, and wingers with that age-production mix do not stay off the market radar for long.
His contract only adds to it. Marchenko is entering the final year of a deal carrying a 3.85 million cap hit, which is exactly the sort of number rival teams circle when they think a player may be gettable.
But Columbus has already tried to cool this down. Don Waddell said Marchenko is going to be a Blue Jacket when the season starts, and that matters because it was a direct line, not vague front-office filler.
That still does not erase the interest. It just means any club calling is being told the price starts high and stays high.
And that is where this gets interesting for the Blue Jackets. You do not move a winger who just put up 27 goals and 40 assists unless the return changes your roster right away.
" The Flames, Blackhawks, and Kraken have been linked to Kirill Marchenko. Per, David Pagnotta. "
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A major new twist just emerged in Kirill Marchenko's future with the Blue Jackets
Calgary is easy to understand. The Flames are still trying to add more finish to their top 6, and Marchenko fits the age range Craig Conroy should be chasing.
Chicago also makes sense because the Blackhawks still need more proven offense around Connor Bedard. A 25-year-old winger who just hit 67 points is a lot more attractive than another project.
Seattle may be the cleanest hockey fit of the 3. The Kraken have room to make a real push, and Marchenko would give them a scoring winger who is still young enough to grow with the group.
From Columbus' side, that is exactly why the file stays alive. Teams are not asking about a player they see as a short-term patch. They are asking about someone who can still be part of a core.
That is also why Bowness and Waddell cannot get cute here. If Marchenko is staying, lock the room down and make that obvious. If he is moving, it has to be for a hockey trade that hurts the other side.
Because the Blue Jackets are not in a spot to trade one of their best scorers for futures and call it progress.
So the buzz is real, and the 3-team list tells you Marchenko has real market pull. But unless one of the Flames, Blackhawks, or Kraken comes with a serious NHL piece, Columbus has every reason to keep Kirill Marchenko exactly where Waddell says he will be.
Should the Blue Jackets shut down all Kirill Marchenko trade calls now?
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