The Canadian’s Russian background must be of interest to Kirill Marchenko

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The Canadian’s Russian background must be of interest to Kirill Marchenko
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The sky is falling on the Blue Jackets.

Just as the team is starting to hope it can get its head above water, we're learning that the chances of Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko signing new contracts with the team are slim.

Ahh, Americans deserting the Canadian markets—oops, wrong file.

Werenski is two years away from full free agency, and Marchenko is one year away from becoming a restricted free agent. He's also two years away from full free agency.

So in both cases, time is running out. Trading them this summer isn't mandatory, but…

What we do know is that Marchenko, who earns an average of $3.85 million per year under the terms of his current contract, is reportedly seeking $11 million per year starting in 2027.

We know the Canadiens want him, but they're not the only team in the running.

For the Habs to potentially secure his services, Marchenko would have to agree to sign a contract extension. He's eligible to do so as early as July 1—next week.

Otherwise, it's not worth it.

And we can all agree that for him to agree to sign with Montreal (if the Blue Jackets are willing to trade him to the Habs, of course), he'll have to want to do it.

In my opinion, the Canadiens' Russian contingent could be appealing to him. Playing alongside Ivan Demidov (who has taken Alexander Zharovsky under his wing and congratulated Gleb Pugachyov on social media) would be a great starting point.

But it goes further than that.

Thanks to Nick Bobrov's presence in the organization, the Canadiens aren't afraid to look to Russia for talent. Since 2024, the team has consistently drafted a Russian player with their first pick…

In addition to Demidov, Zharovsky, and Pugachyov, Nick Bobrov has also selected Yevgeni Volokhin, Bogdan Konyushkov, and Makar Khanin in the draft over the past few years.

Players like Alexander Gordin, Dmitri Kostenko, and Daniil Sobolev are also in the system, having been selected by Trevor Timmins back in the day.

It's also worth noting that Marchenko's agent, Dan Milstein, represents Alexandre Texier, Ivan Demidov, Alexander Zharovsky, and Gleb Pugachyov, among others.

Are these factors that might interest Marchenko, who will undoubtedly have a say in where he signs his next contract? We have to assume so. After all, the Blue Jackets did the same thing with Valeri Nichushkin…

Kent Hughes, who said he'd make a move (though without specifying when), is likely digging into the Marchenko situation. Will he succeed, given that he wasn't able to make a move this week?

Stay tuned.


In a nutshell

– Major shakeup in L.A.

– David Reinbacher: What will the Habs do to develop him?

– Jason Robertson: Are the Stars hoping for a hostile offer?

– Who came out on top last night?

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