With opening night right around the corner, the Montreal Canadiens may not be done yet. Darren Dreger said on the Ray & Dregs Podcast that Kent Hughes could still have another move in the works, and while he stopped short of calling it a lock, he did leave the door open for a deal before Game 1.
The name that has surfaced in that discussion is Columbus Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko. Montreal has been hunting for a top-six forward, with a second-line center sitting near the top of the wish list, and Marchenko has become a player to watch.
He put up 67 points in 76 games last season and carries a $3.85 million cap hit. The hurdle, though, is the price.
Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell has said Marchenko wouldn’t be traded, even while acknowledging teams are calling and that any return would need to help Columbus.
There’s also chatter tying the Edmonton Oilers to Kirby Dach, which fits into a broader search for help down the middle. More on that later, but it’s another sign Montreal’s roster could still be part of the league’s bigger trade puzzle.
One of the more interesting pieces of that puzzle involves Alexander Nikishin and the Carolina Hurricanes. According to Elliotte Friedman, Carolina had the framework of a trade with the New York Rangers earlier this offseason, but the deal fell apart because Nikishin and the Rangers couldn’t get a contract agreement done.
Friedman said Nikishin’s ask was around five years at $9 million per season. That’s a hefty number, and it’s apparently not one the Hurricanes are eager to meet.
It also sounds like other teams may be hesitant, too, even with the salary cap rising. Nikishin, 25, is viewed as an offensive defenseman who can run a power play, but the commitment is the real issue.
That’s especially true when Carolina is believed to want something close to two first-round picks or comparable value in return. It’s not hard to see why a team would think twice before paying that kind of trade price and then turning around and handing out that kind of contract.
The St. Louis Blues were also said to have real interest at one point, and Friedman has suggested Nikishin’s camp was given permission to explore other options.
And there may be another layer to all of this for Carolina. Friedman believes the Hurricanes are still in the Connor Hellebuyck mix and would prefer a path where moving Nikishin helps create the assets needed to go after the Winnipeg Jets goalie.
A three-team deal could be part of that equation, though nothing has been confirmed. Carolina doesn’t need to force the issue, either.
Nikishin’s options are limited, and the Hurricanes can afford to wait and keep tabs on Hellebuyck’s market while Winnipeg looks for the right offer.
Out in Edmonton, the Oilers are said to be exploring the market for a right-shot center, and Friedman connected them to two names: Kirby Dach and Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright. Friedman also speculated that Mike Babcock may have identified the need for a right-handed center, though he made clear that was his read, not a confirmed conversation.
Dach brings size and flexibility, but the injury and availability questions are obvious after he played just 37 games last season and finished with 15 points. He’s on a one-year, $3.6 million contract.
Wright is the longer-range bet. The fourth overall pick in 2022 has 78 points in 169 NHL games, and while neither player is believed to be close to landing in Edmonton, both fit the kind of center the Oilers seem to be checking on.
In Other News...
Nikishin Situation Is Turning Into A Serious Hurricanes Standoff
Alexander Nikishins future has become one of the more intriguing roster matters hanging over Carolina this summer. The 21-year-old defenseman remains an unsigned restricted free agent, and his name has surfaced in trade conversations with multiple NHL teams, including the Rangers, Blues and Predators. He also recently changed agents to Paul Theofanous, a sign the situation is still very much in motion as the Hurricanes weigh what to do next.
What makes this especially delicate for Carolina is the level of interest it appears to be drawing and the price attached to it. The Hurricanes are not treating Nikishin like a movable depth piece, which helps explain why the talks have been so slow to move anywhere meaningful. With a pending trade request still in place and no resolution yet on the contract side, this has turned into the kind of standoff that can linger until one side finally gets close enough to its number to blink. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Just Reopened A Frustrating Bradly Nadeau Debate
The Hurricanes opened the season by trimming their roster and sending Bradly Nadeau back to the Chicago Wolves, a move that instantly revived one of the clubs more frustrating questions about the 21-year-old forward. Nadeau has already gotten a taste of the NHL and has shown enough offense in the AHL to make this a real developmental conversation, not just a routine paper move.
What makes the decision harder to ignore is the timing. Carolina had an opening on the NHL side because of Seth Jarvis offseason shoulder surgery, yet the team still chose to start Nadeau in the minors. For a prospect who has already flashed scoring ability at both levels, the assignment raises the same issue all over again: whether the Hurricanes are maximizing his growth by keeping him in Chicago, or leaving a ready-looking winger waiting for another chance. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Opener Still Has One Roster Tension Fans Cant Ignore
Ahead of the season opener, Eric Tulsky used his pregame availability to clarify one of Carolinas quieter roster storylines: Felix Unger Sorum and Bradly Nadeau have made the team, but they are not forcing apart the Stanley Cup-winning group that the Hurricanes are bringing back. For a club trying to balance young talent with continuity, that matters, especially with Seth Jarvis on injured reserve and the roster already in a temporary state.
Tulsky did not have a fresh update on Alexander Nikishin, saying only that talks are still ongoing after the defenseman changed agents. Carolina is also carrying three goalies right now as a protection measure, a move designed to help the Hurricanes avoid losing anyone on waivers while the roster sorts itself out and the opener arrives with a few loose ends still hanging. [Read more 🡒]