Kirill Marchenko keeps popping up in trade rumors, but the Columbus Blue Jackets say nothing is actually moving on that front.
Insider Aaron Portzline reported Sunday morning that Columbus has had no calls on Marchenko since earlier this summer, despite rumblings out of Russia suggesting otherwise.
Marchenko has been tied to change of scenery talk for two straight days now, with Montreal and Utah both floated as potential landing spots.
None of that lines up with what Portzline says is actually happening inside the Blue Jackets front office.
He was careful to leave the door open. Things can change later this summer. But calls? Those haven't come.
Told there's nothing happening with #CBJ on the Kirill Marchenko front, despite rumors out of Russia to the contrary.
Not saying it can't change later this summer. But my understanding is #CBJ have not had calls on Marchenko since earlier this summer.
Marchenko is coming off a 67 point season, 27 goals and 40 assists across 76 games, with six power play goals and seven game winners.
He's been steady lately too, three points in his last five games and eight points over his last ten.
Montreal and Utah both have reasons to dial the phone
Montreal sits sixth overall at 106 points, riding a seven and three record over its last ten. The Canadiens have lost their last three meetings with Columbus this season, at least this last one, after taking two of three head to head.
Utah is 43 and 33, sitting fifteenth overall, and split its two games against Columbus this season. Andre Tourigny's group could use another scoring winger, and Marchenko fits that description on paper.
Columbus, meanwhile, is stuck at 92 points and eighteenth overall, losers of two straight and just two and seven over its last ten.
That kind of stretch usually gets a front office thinking. Rick Bowness and GM Don Waddell haven't shown their hand publicly, and Portzline's report suggests they haven't shown it privately either.
Here's the thing about smoke without fire. Sometimes it means nothing is cooking. Sometimes it just means the kitchen hasn't opened yet.
Marchenko still carries a manageable cap hit at just under four million dollars, the kind of contract that makes him attractive to a rebuilding or retooling club looking for scoring on the wing.
That's exactly why this rumor won't die just because one insider says the calls haven't started. Teams like Montreal and Utah don't need permission to keep asking around.
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Whether Columbus actually picks up the phone before the deadline pressure sets in is the real question nobody can answer yet, including apparently the people closest to it.
Should the Blue Jackets trade Kirill Marchenko this summer?
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