- A Canadiens trade offer for Kirill Marchenko would mirror the one Montreal put together for Matthew Knies
- That package was prospect Alexander Zharovsky, a second prospect and a first-round pick
- Read below for why Columbus keeps saying no and what Marchenko’s contract has to do with it
The Kirill Marchenko trade talk finally has a price attached to it.
Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette said on The Sick Podcast that a Canadiens offer for the Columbus Blue Jackets winger would look a lot like the one Montreal built for Matthew Knies. That means prospect winger Alexander Zharovsky, a second prospect and a first-round pick, according to Cowan.
Montreal never got the chance to hand that package over for Knies. The Maple Leafs and Canadiens had a deadline deal in place before it fell apart, and Zharovsky was the centerpiece then too.
He is a much harder piece to give up now. Montreal drafted the Russian winger in the second round in 2025, and he spent last season putting up 16 goals and 42 points in 59 KHL games for Salavat Yulaev. That broke the league record for an under-19 skater, passing the 36 points Eeli Tolvanen posted in 2017-18, and it made Zharovsky the KHL Rookie of the Year.
Marchenko is worth that kind of conversation. The 26-year-old had 27 goals and 40 assists in 76 games last season and has led Columbus in goals three years running.
His contract is the reason his name keeps coming up. Marchenko is heading into the last year of a three-year, $11.55 million deal and becomes a restricted free agent when it expires, and word around the draft was that he had no interest in signing long term in Columbus.
Russian media pushed the story into overdrive last week with a report that a deal was close and the Canadiens were one of two teams still involved:
Columbus shot that down in a hurry. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said earlier this summer that Marchenko would be with the team to start the season, and Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported a day later that nothing was happening on that front at all.
Cowan does not think Kent Hughes needs to force it. Montreal is loaded with picks and young players other clubs want, which lets the general manager sit and wait for the right deal instead of overpaying for this one.
He also would not be surprised if the Canadiens land something big before camp. Last summer’s Noah Dobson trade arrived with no warning either.
