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Since yesterday, Kirill Marchenko has been the talk of the NHL. The Blue Jackets forward is reportedly on the radar of several teams, and the Habs are often mentioned as one of the teams most interested in him.
Frank Seravalli claims that Montreal has actually made a massive offer to acquire him.
That said, it's important to remember that Marchenko is one year away from full free agency. Any team looking to sign him would therefore have to offer him a new long-term contract… and Kevin Weekes has given an idea of how much that might cost.
According to Weekes, the contract Pavel Dorofeyev just signed with the Rangers ($11 million per year for seven years) is being used by Marchenko's camp as a benchmark to determine what he's looking for in his next contract.
And one has to wonder whether the Habs would be open to offering him such a deal.
In speaking to @BlueJacketsNHL F Marchenko's camp, the new @NYRangers
Dorofeyev $11M AAV deal is among others being used as a benchmark. #HockeyX pic.twitter.com/D0Uq8MrHC5— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 27, 2026
It's worth noting that in Montreal, the team's highest-paid player is Noah Dobson at $9.5M per year. On offense, Nick Suzuki is set to be the highest-paid player for the upcoming season at $7.875M per year.
An $11 million-per-year contract would represent a significant shake-up of the Habs' salary structure. However, it's important to note that in 2026–27, Marchenko will be in the final year of a deal worth $3.85 million per year: it's only starting in 2027–28 that he'll be eligible for a substantial pay raise.
It's worth noting that Marchenko, even though he doesn't score as many goals as Dorofeyev, averages more points per season than he does. Both players, who are 25 years old, have fairly similar profiles.
And in an NHL where the salary cap is skyrocketing, it's no surprise to see players like Marchenko and Dorofeyev commanding massive contracts.
Extension
It's worth noting that Kevin Weekes also added that he spoke with Marchenko at camp… and Marchenko says it's unlikely the Russian will sign another contract with Columbus.
Has the fact that the Blue Jackets are listening to offers for Zach Werenski changed the dynamics of the situation? It seems like a real possibility.
This is literally fresh off the press: Marchenko's camp tells me that, as of now, he's unlikely to re-sign with @BlueJacketsNHL
as of now. #HockeyX pic.twitter.com/SpqykU0uMr— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 27, 2026
