Breaking Down a Potential Canadiens’ NHL Trade Package For Marchenko
With the Montreal Canadiens reportedly being one of the most aggressive NHL Trade suitors for Kirill Marchenko, what could a good trade for both teams look like?
On Wednesday, Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell told The Eye Test Podcast what he’s looking for in a potential NHL trade package for Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko.
Waddell made it clear that he doesn’t want to trade Marchenko and his friendly $3.85 million salary cap hit that he has for the upcoming season but if he were to do so, he’d want to get someone that could enter the lineup right away and produce offensively. Unfortunately, that’s a lot easier said than done.
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“Regardless of what the agent (Dan Milstein) and Kirill want, he’s an important part of our team right now, and he’s got a great cap hit. I’m not replacing his talent and his goals at $3.8 million, that’s for sure.” Waddell told Eye Test Podcast hosts Pierre McGuire and Jimmy Murphy.
At the same time, with Marchenko reportedly having requested a trade, Waddell seems to know he may just have to bite the bullet and take a lesser package to avoid losing Marchenko for much less in the off-season when the forward will likely request an annual salary over $10 million a year as a restricted free agent.
“I’m listening, and that’s all I can do as a general manager. I can’t just close it off; I have to say, ‘Tell me what you’re thinking.’ If something makes sense and helps CBJ, we’ll take a serious look at it,” Waddell explained in regard to potentially trading his leading goal scorer from last season.
The Montreal Canadiens don’t have anyone in their lineup that they would be willing to give up (Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Ivan Demidov are untouchable here) that could match Marchenko’s goal production of 58 goals over the past two seasons. However, there are two players who are still relatively young and can produce offense.
Alex Newhook proved last season that he can score big goals when the game matters most and could be a player that can score 20-25 goals (if he stays healthy) playing alongside a centre like Adam Fantilli or Sean Monahan. While he’ll likely never put up the same numbers as Marchenko, he will definitely soften the blow of losing a 25-goal and 65-point player.
Then, there is Zach Bolduc, who has the potential to score 25-30 goals a season with the right opportunity. At just 23 years old, he can grow in an offensive role alongside the Blue Jackets’ fellow youngsters like Fantilli and Kent Johnson, among others. He may not have the playmaking skills of Marchenko, but he could very well score just as much as the Russian winger, if Bolduc’s 19 goals in his 2024-25 season with the St. Louis Blues is any indication of what he could do. However, like Fantilli, who the Blue Jackets need to re-sign, Bolduc remains an RFA without a contract; and this could be an issue unless there was a sign-and-trade involved.
Even though Waddell never mentioned anything about wanting futures in a return for Marchenko, the most enticing part of an NHL trade with the Montreal Canadiens would be the futures that they could put into the deal. Alexander Zharovsky is a great forward prospect for the Montreal Canadiens who has the skill to be a top six forward in the NHL someday. However, he is still a few years away from the NHL, and with the Canadiens’ Championship window starting to open up, if they can get an already established star like Marchenko in a package built around Zharovsky, it could be worth it. There is a good chance that Zharovsky could be the best piece that Waddell and the Blue Jackets get in the long run in a Marchenko deal with the Canadiens, as he has the potential to score 25 goals and 60 points. The biggest difference between him and Marchenko is that he doesn’t play the two-way game that Marchenko brings yet.
While Bolduc and Zharovsky would be a good starting point, the Blue Jackets will also likely want a first-round pick, which the Canadiens could also provide. The 2027 first rounder will likely be late and therefore won’t have too much value though. Therefore, they will likely need to add a B-level NHL-ready prospect that could provide team depth. Forward Owen Beck or defenseman Adam Engstrom, could be those prospects.
The Mock Trade:
Montreal Canadiens Get:
Kirill Marchenko (sign-and-trade: seven years x $11.5 million)
The Columbus Blue Jackets Get:
Rights to Alexander Zharovsky
Zack Bolduc (sign-and-trade: four years x $5 million)
Adam Engstrom/Owen Beck
2027 1st Round Pick
Do you think that this NHL trade package could help the Montreal Canadiens acquire Kirill Mrchenko?
*Please take this with a grain of salt; this is not a rumoured trade, just looking at a potential possibility.
