Kirill Marchenko: Here’s what the CH was willing to give up for him

Félix Forget
Kirill Marchenko: Here’s what the CH was willing to give up for him
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

Kirill Marchenko has been on the Habs' radar over the past few months. And in the end, the Russian was traded… to Toronto.

In return, the Blue Jackets acquired, among others, Matthew Knies, another player who was coveted by Kent Hughes. That's… not ideal.

We know that the Canadiens, despite everything, pushed hard to acquire Marchenko. And David Pagnotta, who discussed the deal for DFO Insider tonight, talked about what the Canadiens were willing to offer to get him.

The insider notes that names like Kaiden Guhle, Oliver Kapanen, Alexander Zharovsky, and David Reinbacher were involved in the talks. The Canadiens' first-round pick was also reportedly offered.

Pagnotta doesn't say that all of these players were part of the same offer (there may have been several different offers, after all), but these names were part of the discussions at one point or another.

It's worth noting that, according to Pagnotta, no team offered the Blue Jackets more talent than the Canadiens. The Habs likely had the best offer on paper… but they didn't have a player like Matthew Knies to offer.

And the Blue Jackets, clearly, were keen to acquire a quality young player already established in the NHL. That worked against the Habs.

It's worth noting that, according to Pagnotta, the Islanders also pushed hard for Marchenko's services. And in fact, Mathieu Darche confirmed to Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic) that he's on the hunt for big names.

We can therefore assume that the Islanders, as was the case with Marchenko, will be hot on the Canadiens' heels to land big names in a trade. Stay tuned.


In a Nutshell

– Interesting.

– That's right.

– The question arises.

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