Kirill Marchenko trade rumors are becoming impossible for Blue Jackets to ignore

Kirill Marchenko might be traded soon. Or he might not be going anywhere.

Welcome to late July in the NHL, when one report can create a week of arguments and several imaginary trade packages before lunch.

The latest round started with a report claiming the Columbus Blue Jackets were close to moving Marchenko. The Montreal Canadiens were mentioned as a possible landing spot, and Canadiens fans naturally took it from there. Within hours, social media was abuzz with the idea of Marchenko becoming a Hab.

There is one fairly large problem. The people closest to Columbus are saying the report is not true.

Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said it had been weeks since he discussed Marchenko with another general manager. Reporters who regularly cover the team also indicated that nothing was happening. Marchenko’s agent, Dan Milstein, shot down a separate claim about something "brewing" between the Blue Jackets and Canadiens and Montreal's interest in Marchenko as well as at least one other Jackets player.

Maybe everyone is telling the truth. Maybe Columbus is keeping its business quiet. Either way, this story is not going to disappear after a few denials.

Kirill Marchenko has given Blue Jackets plenty to consider

The Blue Jackets are not dealing with a struggling player they can casually toss into a trade. Marchenko scored 27 goals and finished with 67 points in 76 games last season. That came after a 31-goal, 74-point season in 2024-25.

He is also only 26 and carries a $3.85 million cap hit for one more year. Production like that at such a friendly price will draw attention from nearly every contender searching for another scorer.

Marchenko will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after next season. Columbus still has control, so there is no reason for Waddell to panic. However, the Blue Jackets need to know whether Marchenko is willing to stay beyond his current deal.

If the answer is yes, an extension should quiet most of this. If the answer is no, waiting could make the situation much messier.

Trading Kirill Marchenko would be difficult to explain

Columbus wants to make the playoffs. That makes a package built mostly around draft picks and prospects hard to accept, even if Montreal includes some of its better young pieces.

The Blue Jackets need players who can help now. Removing one of their best scorers and replacing him with possibilities would be a strange way to convince the current roster that management is serious about winning.

It would also create another hole for Waddell to fill. Marchenko has scored 102 goals across his first four NHL seasons. Big wingers who can regularly threaten 30 goals are not sitting around waiting for a phone call.

Montreal could put together an attractive offer, but Columbus would likely demand a proven young player in return. The Canadiens may not want to surrender one, which is where the fun trade proposals tend to crash into reality.

For now, Marchenko remains a Blue Jacket. Waddell has said he expects him to be on the roster when the season begins, and there is no solid evidence that a trade is about to happen.

Still, the rumors found a weak spot. Marchenko’s contract is getting closer to its end, his next deal will be expensive and questions about his willingness to sign have already surfaced.

Columbus can deny the trade talk. Until Marchenko signs another contract, it cannot bury it.