Trade rumors continue to swirl around Kirill Marchenko, but the Columbus Blue Jackets have set a high price. Meanwhile, it's rumored that the Edmonton Oilers could be looking at acquiring oft-injured Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach.
As the 2026-27 regular season approaches, speculation persists about winger Kirill Marchenko's future with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Marchenko, 26, became the subject of off-season trade rumors following reports that he was unwilling to sign a contract extension with the Blue Jackets. His evasiveness when questioned by reporters earlier this month did nothing to dispel the conjecture.
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos included Marchenko on his first trade board of the season. He believes the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Edmonton Oilers want to acquire the scoring winger.
Kypreos' colleague Elliotte Friedman also mentioned the Canadiens and Maple Leafs as potential suitors. He added that he'd heard the Boston Bruins made an offer at one point. Friedman thinks the low-scoring Seattle Kraken could be in on Marchenko, and he heard conflicting reports about interest from the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Blue Jackets’ asking price for Marchenko is a major hurdle. General manager Don Waddell has repeatedly said he’s not interested in draft picks and prospects, preferring a comparable forward who can provide immediate help.
Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun weighed in on the Maple Leafs' rumored pursuit of Marchenko, wondering how they can afford to re-sign him when they have already committed $105 million against their $113.5 million salary cap for 2027-28.
Marchenko carries a cap hit of $3.9 million on his current contract. He's slated to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next July. Another 30-goal season could push the average annual value of his next contract to around $12 million.
Koshan speculated that the Blue Jackets would want winger Matthew Knies from the Maple Leafs. However, he doesn't consider Marchenko an upgrade over Knies, who is younger with a more affordable long-term contract and likely to keep pace offensively.
As for the Bruins, Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe believes the asking price would be a young center like Fraser Minten or James Hagens, a first-round pick, and another youngster like defenseman Mason Lohrei or more.
Kirby Dach Drawing Interest From Other Teams
Meanwhile, in Montreal, Kirby Dach's future with the Canadiens has come up in the rumor mill.
Dach has struggled through injuries that hampered his performance. Nevertheless, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported that the Oilers and Calgary Flames were among the clubs interested in the 25-year-old Canadiens forward.
Seravalli suggested the Oilers' interest in Dach "borders on drooling." He pointed out that general manager Stan Bowman drafted him in 2019 as GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, claiming Bowman believes a poor run of injury luck prevented Dach from reaching his potential.
However, Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal thinks Bowman should proceed with caution. He felt the latter's injury history and uneven NHL path would make him a risky acquisition.
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