The Boston Bruins made an offer for Kirill Marchenko at one point, according to Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts this morning.
Friedman didn't stop at Boston, either. Winnipeg, Montreal, the Islanders, Toronto, Vegas and Seattle were all named as teams that have or might have kicked the tires.
Seven teams, one forward, and a Blue Jackets front office with a very crowded inbox.
The timing is awful for anyone hoping for a discount. Marchenko scored shorthanded last night in a 4-0 win over Pittsburgh.
He logged 17:14 on a night Zachary Werenski scored the winner and Cameron Talbot stopped all 15 shots he faced.
Scoring while down a man is the kind of thing scouts write down twice. It tells you a coach trusts you on the penalty kill, and Rick Bowness had him out there.
Seven teams circle as Blue Jackets hold the leverage
So why would Don Waddell even pick up the phone? The cap sheet offers one clue.
Adam Fantilli carries a $13,750,000 cap hit, fifth-highest in the league. Werenski sits at $9,583,333.
When two players eat that much space, every other contract on the roster gets squeezed. Somebody eventually pays for it with a new jersey.
Boston's appetite makes sense on paper. The Bruins were shut out 2-0 in Philadelphia last night, and that lineup couldn't find the net.
James Hagens fired 5 shots and played 20:36 in the loss. Nothing went in.
Don Sweeney already has David Pastrnak at $11,250,000 and Charlie McAvoy at $9,500,000. Adding another scorer means real cap surgery somewhere else on the roster.
Here's where I land. Moving Marchenko now, for whatever Boston is dangling, would be a bad deal for Columbus.
It's like selling your snowblower in October because a neighbor made a decent offer. You'll be shoveling by hand come January.
The Bruins play in Washington tonight. Columbus heads to Detroit on Saturday, then opens the regular season October 1 against Buffalo.
That phrase, "at one point," is doing a lot of work. Whether Boston's interest ended there or just went quiet is the part nobody has answered yet.
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Should the Blue Jackets hang up on every Bruins offer for Kirill Marchenko?
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