Don Waddell shuts down a blockbuster Kirill Marchenko trade idea

The Columbus Blue Jackets aren't selling Kirill Marchenko for futures. Don Waddell said so Sunday, even with rival GMs dialing his number.

Waddell went on SiriusXM NHL and didn't bother dressing it up. "I'm not calling teams, they're calling me," the Columbus GM said, per Dave McCarthy.

Then came the line that matters. "I can't trade him for picks & prospects. That doesn't make any sense for our franchise at this point."

Read that one twice. Waddell left a door open, just not the one most buyers were hoping to walk through.

A forward who helps Columbus now only moves for help Columbus can use now. Any package built on draft picks and junior kids is dead on arrival.

Marchenko had a quiet night in Detroit on Saturday, logging 14:03 in a 4-2 win. His lone point came on a power play assist.

He didn't put a single shot on goal, and he finished minus-2 in a game his team won by two. Not the audition tape anyone expected.

Blue Jackets demand NHL help back, not a rebuild package

Rick Bowness took over behind the bench in January. Flipping a scorer that other teams are chasing would cut the coach off at the knees before his first full season starts.

The money tells the same story. Adam Fantilli carries a $13,750,000 cap hit, the fifth highest in the league.

Zachary Werenski sits at $9,583,333 on the blue line. Nobody pays a core like that to wait around for 2030.

So what does an acceptable deal actually look like? A roster player coming back, presumably. Waddell didn't spell it out, and he doesn't have to.

Trading Marchenko for picks would be like selling your car to pay for driving lessons. Waddell is right to hang up on those calls, and it isn't close.

Camp has given Columbus some cover. The Blue Jackets are 3-1-0 through their fall tune-ups and have won two straight.

Saturday's depth made noise, too. Charlie Coyle scored on the power play, and Valeri Nichushkin fired five shots with a goal and an assist.

Jet Greaves stopped 31 of 33 in the win. For a club that needs saves to stay in the race, that's the kind of night that quiets a trade market.

Opening night against the Sabres arrives Thursday at home. Every shift Marchenko takes from here gets watched by clubs that already know the asking price.

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And by a few that just learned it went up.

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