Overview
- Kirill Marchenko returned to Columbus to skate Friday and will complete medicals ahead of training camp as trade speculation continues.
- Blue Jackets president and GM Don Waddell says he has received offers and will keep listening but will only move Marchenko for proven NHL talent that helps the club now.
- League insiders and reports identify the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders among the main suitors exploring offers for Marchenko.
- Marchenko ranks as a high-value short-term asset with a $3.85 million cap hit, RFA status next July and UFA eligibility in 2028, which complicates Columbus’s decision under tight cap projections.
- Columbus is evaluating veteran PTOs, including at least one goalie given Elvis Merzlikins’ recovery timeline, and faces the prospect of losing an affordable top scorer if it cannot reconcile cap space and Fantilli’s new contract.