Despite some online chatter about the Columbus Blue Jackets being engaged with other teams on a potential trade of star winger Kirill Marchenko, there does not appear to be any imminent trade involving the Russian forward.
The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline has reported there is “nothing happening with [the Blue Jackets] on the Kirill Marchenko front.”
While Portzline did add the caveat that things can still change “later this summer,” he made sure to note that the team has not had substantive trade discussions involving Marchenko since “earlier this summer.”
Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell told the media earlier this summer that Marchenko would remain in Columbus in time for the start of the season, but that has not stopped trade rumors from swirling around the talented goal scorer.
Despite Waddell’s attempts to seemingly calm the media speculation on whether or not his team would trade Marchenko, the longer the 26-year-old has gone without a contract extension, (he will be an RFA next summer with one further year of team control remaining before free agency) the more the trade speculation has intensified.
It was reported in June that Marchenko was “unlikely” to sign a long-term extension with the Blue Jackets, leading many outside observers to speculate that Columbus’ best path forward with the player was to find an acceptable trade agreement before the ticking clock of his remaining team control diminishes his trade value too steeply.
But Columbus, who ultimately survived intense trade rumors surrounding superstar defenseman Zach Werenski, seem to have no interest in taking a step back in terms of immediate competitiveness in order to maximize long-term asset management.
Regardless of what kind of trade they’d be able to construct around Marchenko, it’s difficult to imagine them improving their competitive fortunes on an immediate basis. The 26-year-old has led all Blue Jackets forwards in scoring in each of the last two seasons, and has scored at least 20 goals in every season he’s played in the NHL thus far.
While it’s easy to see why Columbus is interested in keeping and extending Marchenko rather than trading him away, the trade speculation surrounding Marchenko involves more than just his contract status.
Columbus collapsed at the end of last season, as their offense all but dried up and the team found themselves unable to score goals or collect wins on a consistent basis late in the year. Marchenko’s play was subject to criticism in the aftermath of Columbus’ playoff miss. In the first 60 games of Marchenko’s season, Columbus went 31-20-9 and Marchenko had 25 goals and 57 points.
But in the final 16 games of his season, the team won just six times and Marchenko only managed to score twice. For a lethal sniper who has made a name for himself in the NHL due to his goal-scoring abilities, that end to the season stood out.
Does that mean Columbus is eager to trade Marchenko, one of the most talented scorers the team has ever been able to find in the draft? Absolutely not, and every report indicates the Blue Jackets’ preference is to extend, rather than deal, the forward. But in an environment where Marchenko is reportedly unwilling to sign a long-term deal with the club, the Blue Jackets must decide whether to press forward with Marchenko still on the roster, even at the risk he might walk in free agency, or consider potential trades.
While the trade possibility still exists, it does not appear, based on the existing reporting, that any deal is imminent.
Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images