Columbus rejected an offer for Kirill Marchenko before the season, per Elliotte Friedman
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Elliotte Friedman says the Bruins made a real offer for Kirill Marchenko, but Columbus never pulled the trigger, and Boston moved on instead.
Kirill Marchenko has been one of the most talked about names of the preseason, and now we know Boston was more than just a rumor floating around the rink.
Elliotte Friedman revealed on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Bruins put together an actual offer for the Blue Jackets winger at some point, though nothing ever got finalized between the two sides.
“Now, Columbus has got another situation. We'll see what they're going to do here. It's Marchenko,” Friedman said on the podcast. “I think teams have been circling around them. … I heard Boston made an offer at one point.”
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
Instead, Boston ended up going a different direction and landing JJ Peterka, leaving Marchenko still stuck in trade limbo heading into the start of the regular season.
Why Columbus never said yes
Friedman made it clear that Columbus is not desperate to move Marchenko just for the sake of collecting futures.
General manager Don Waddell has said he is not actively shopping his 26 year old winger, even as interest keeps piling up from teams like Montreal, the Islanders, Winnipeg and Toronto.
The Blue Jackets are already sitting over the salary cap after handing Adam Fantilli a six year, $82.5 million extension, which makes any incoming return even more complicated to structure this close to opening night.
What comes next for Marchenko
With Marchenko entering a contract year and set to become a restricted free agent next summer, Columbus has a real decision to make.
They can either build around him and start the season with their talented forward in the lineup, or use his situation to reshape the roster around a different identity going forward.
Friedman noted that the price to acquire him would still be steep for any club serious about getting a deal done, Boston included.
Until Columbus makes up its mind, expect Marchenko's name to keep surfacing every single time trade season heats up around the league this fall.
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