The Montreal Canadiens might end up getting the player they have seemingly wanted all offseason. According to Daria Tuboltseva with RG.org, the Columbus Blue Jackets are reportedly close to trading forward Kirill Marchenko, and the Montreal Canadiens are the one team mentioned as a potential destination in the report.
"RG.org has learned that the Blue Jackets and another team are finalizing the terms of a trade, and Marchenko's camp knows the talks are ongoing.
"Kirill is essentially between two teams right now," a source close to the player told RG.org. "The parties are now negotiating the terms of the trade.""
Tuboltseva goes on to note that the Montreal Canadiens remain in the mix, but doesn't confirm they are the team in trade talks with the Blue Jackets. However, she writes that "they could factor into the current talks."
Trading for Kirill Marchenko would be costly but is the perfect fit for the Montreal Canadiens
If the Blue Jackets were to trade Marchenko, it would be quite the pivot from where the Blue Jackets' general manager Don Waddell was just a few weeks ago. Shortly after the start of free agency, Waddell said that Marchenko would be with the Blue Jackets to start the season.
Now, things can change in a short period of time, from Marchenko making it clear that he won't re-sign with the Blue Jackets to the Canadiens just making an offer that the Blue Jackets can't refuse. Between those two options, it is probably the latter, and if Marchenko is traded, it almost certainly will be viewed as an overpay.
However, for Montreal, they are in a position to overpay a bit after the way they have been able to rebuild. They have a deep prospect pool, have a core of young players under contract for the foreseeable future, and will address their biggest need of a Top 6 scorer.
Meanwhile, Marchenko is someone who checks a lot of the boxes for the type of player the Canadiens want to add. He is still young and in the prime of his career at 26 years old and has already proven he can be productive with back-to-back seasons with at least 67 points.
If the Canadiens can get some kind of reassurance that he will sign long-term, then the cost will be worth it for Montreal. The good news is that the Canadiens seemingly have a great relationship with his agent, Daniel Milstein, as they just reached an agreement for a new contract for Ivan Demidov earlier this summer as the latest example.
In the end, if the Montreal Canadiens are able to get a deal done now, then it will completely change the perception of this offseason. It puts them even closer to the top of the Eastern Conference and makes them a legit Stanley Cup contender.
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