Canadiens Put Massive Offer on the Table for Kirill Marchenko

NHL insider Frank Seravalli said on Frankly Hockey Friday afternoon that the Montreal Canadiens are making a big play for a stud forward from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Seravalli says Montreal recently made a “MASSIVE” offer for Kirill Marchenko.

In fact, he notes, “The Canadiens might look borderline insane for putting this deal on the table.”

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There’s been some chatter around Marchenko this week. Marco D’Amico reports, “Just to add, per sources close to the situation, Marchenko is happy to stay in Columbus; this is not player-driven despite the impending contract talks.” He adds that the Blue Jackets are just testing the waters to see if a team overpays. Given that they just added Valeri Nichushkin via trade, there’s a feeling they can get creative.

The belief is that it would take a serious premium offer to convince Columbus to let go of Marchenko. GM Kent Hughes is known for taking big swings on players he feels are worth the risk. Marchenko has scored 27, 31, and 23 goals in each of the previous three seasons. He’s got one more year left on his current deal at $3.85 million. He then becomes an RFA.

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That would mean he’s under team control, even though the Canadiens would likely have to pay handsomely to re-sign him should he have another 25-30-goal season.

It’s unclear if the Blue Jackets are legitimately considering this. Pierre LeBrun reported that the Canadiens have been monitoring several big names. Among them are Vincent Trocheck; they’ve called the Islanders on Bo Horvat, and the answer was no. He also reported that the Habs called Columbus on Marchenko and also got a fat no.

Next: Dissecting Suggested Big 3-Team Trade: Knies, Robertson, and the No. 2 Pick