NHL Rumours: Habs Trying to Sign Hage, Marchenko Price & McKenna’s Optimism – The Hockey Writers – NHL Rumors

In today’s NHL rumour rundown, we start off with the Montreal Canadiens as they continue to try to bring Michael Hage into the organization. Next, we look at Kirill Marchenko and the reported asking price, which seems to be on par with what was offered for Matthew Knies.

Finally, Gavin McKenna seems to have a lot of optimism surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs, which is a good sign for the club as their top prospect is set to join the team.

Canadiens Still Trying to Sign Michael Hage

The Canadiens selected Hage 21st overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, and while he looked like a great prospect at the time, his stock has only risen since then. After posting 86 points across two seasons in the NCAA, a player in his position will typically turn pro rather than attending college for a third year.

In the case of Hage, he is set to return to the star-studded Michigan lineup, which includes other top players like Will Horcoff, J.P Hurlbert, Jack Nesbitt, Malcolm Spence, and Cameron Reid, to name a few.

Michigan is poised to have a championship-level team, and Hage is going to be a massive part of that.

On April 11, it was announced that Hage would be returning to the NCAA, meaning the Canadiens couldn’t bring him in to wrap up the season and make a post-season appearance.

All reports indicated that there were no hard feelings, and Elliotte Friedman stated, “There’s no reason to believe Hage is unhappy with the Canadiens, and there is no reason to believe the Canadiens are unhappy with Hage and will try to trade him.”

The story was put to rest pretty quickly, but on July 31, Jeff Marek stated that the Canadiens are still looking to get him signed.

The club is currently without a legitimate second-line centre. While it is unclear if they are looking at Hage to fill that void right away, if they do, putting that kind of pressure on a 20-year-old can be more hurtful than helpful. Relying on a rookie to make those big impacts doesn’t always go well.

With that being said, all signs point to Hage being able to fill the hole. He has a ton of talent and is looked at as a top prospect for good reason.

Price For Marchenko On Par With Knies Rumours

With the rumours over the past few weeks around the Canadiens and their interest in Marchenko, there has been a report regarding the acquisition price.

At the NHL’s trade deadline, a deal fell through between the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, which was built around Knies heading to the Habs.

The rumoured deal included prospect Alexander Zharkovsky, two first-round picks, and another prospect.

While the Canadiens’ biggest hole is at the centre position, they have had their eyes set on both Knies and Marchenko, who are both wingers.

Stu Cowan joined The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro and stated, “I think it would be a similar package to what was reported in the Matthew Knies deal”

Marchenko has one season remaining at a very favourable $3.85 million, but is due for a massive extension, which AFP Analytics projects around $9 million, though it will likely cost more than that.

Marchenko and his agency have made it clear that he will not be signing an extension with the Blue Jackets, but they aren’t looking to trade him for less than a fair deal.

McKenna Optimistic About Current Maple Leafs Situation

In an interview with ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, McKenna, taken first overall in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, stated that there is a goal of making the playoffs and that winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie would make for a great year.

Since John Chayka took over as the general manager, there has been a clear direction for the team, and that is to win. They don’t have interest in a big rebuild, and with the acquisitions of Darren Raddysh, Sergei Bobrovsky, and plenty of depth, the Leafs are much better on paper, but still have some work to do.

After shipping out Joseph Woll and Brandon Carlo, the Leafs are still expected to try and move Morgan Rielly. Until the season starts, it is hard to pencil in what their lineup could look like, as more changes are likely coming.

Either way, McKenna mentioning the playoffs as a goal should have fans excited. Typically, it is unreasonable for a first-overall pick to look for the playoffs as the team selecting them is usually far from contention, but the Maple Leafs have lots of great pieces in place already.

The Atlantic Division is going to be the toughest in the league, but the Maple Leafs certainly have a shot at making the playoffs if their additions contribute the way they are expected to, and if captain Auston Matthews has a strong bounce-back season.