The Kirill Marchenko sweepstakes came to a close on Monday afternoon as the Columbus Blue Jackets dealt the 26-year-old to Montreal's rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto also acquired forward Miles Wood and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins in exchange for forwards Matthew Knies & Steven Lorentz, defenseman Emil Andrae and a second round pick in the 2029 NHL Entry Draft. In two games with the Maple Leafs so far, Marchenko has tallied an assist and two penalty minutes.
The Maple Leafs were among a handful of teams interested in Kirill Marchenko during the offseason, including the Montreal Canadiens, who were looking for an upgrade in their top-six all summer long. Ultimately, the Canadiens were unable to land Marchenko because they didn't really have someone like a Matthew Knies that they would've been willing to move.
However, while they didn't have that piece that could help the Columbus Blue Jackets right now, it appears that General Manager Kent Hughes did put together a fairly strong package for the Barnaul, Russia native.
Montreal Canadiens Reportedly Put Strong Package Together for Kirill Marchenko
During Wednesday's edition of DFO Insider, Jeff Marek and David Pagnotta discussed the Kirill Marchenko trade, with the latter revealing details about the package that the Montreal Canadiens put together, but wasn't what the Columbus Blue Jackets were seeking.
"Toronto wasn't the only team. There were the Montreal Canadiens, very heavy. The Canadiens included a deal or included a package, we heard all kinds of names. Kaiden Guhle's name was involved, Oliver Kapanen's name was involved. [Alexander] Zharovsky, who was almost traded for Knies, was in the mix. Their first round pick. [David] Reinbacher. There were others that the Canadiens were willing to move. That obviously didn't happen." Pagnotta said.
He later went on to add, "If he wanted to go down that road, he would have gotten more talent overall from the Montreal Canadiens. The guys that I've mentioned, it wasn't all of them, but it was three significant pieces and a first round pick, at least, including the guys that I had mentioned. So if they wanted to bring in a futures package, that probably in five years would have really paid off for them, they had that opportunity. But they didn't want to do that, they couldn't do that."
The Canadiens front office was probably a bit frustrated that they missed out on Kirill Marchenko, much like they were when the Matthew Knies trade they agreed upon with Toronto was submitted to the league just after the 3 pm ET deadline in March, thus becoming null and void.
It isn't all bad news for Kent Hughes, however. The Canadiens General Manager still has those "futures" that he can use in another deal at some point during the 2026-27 season. For Canadiens fans, they might have to be a bit patient before something else comes to fruition as at this time of year, there aren't many players available, especially ones that the club could slot into a second line role.
Hughes ideally would like to finally solve the problem of not having a legit second line centerman before making a move to bring in another winger. Chris Kreider seems more than fine in a top-six role right now, so there's no need to chase a deal for another winger, at this time.
The second line center hole needs to be addressed this season. It's been two summers in a row now that the Canadiens have struck out swinging on their search for someone to play the 2C role and they need to find someone they feel can form a dynamic duo with Ivan Demidov.
Once we get closer to American Thanksgiving in late-November, a date which most teams in a playoff spot end up making it to the big dance - based on data from previous years - we should get a better idea on who could become available in the lead up to the trade deadline. But again, fans should exercise some patience as a deal might take a little while consummate.
One potential second line centerman the Canadiens have already been linked to recently is Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets. Scheifele's availability will really depend on how the first part of Winnipeg's season goes. Amid a trade request from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who is currently suspended by the team for failing to report to training camp, the Jets face an uphill climb in their quest for a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
If Mark Scheifele does become available, he's a player that Kent Hughes should be all over. But, there will be others too between now and the trade deadline on Monday, March 1st. The Canadiens front office will add to this team and if they're in a top-three spot in the Atlantic Division by March 1st, it'll give Kent Hughes even more motivation to get something done.