Interest in Kirill Marchenko is starting to spread beyond Columbus.
David Pagnotta reported that while the biggest focus around the Blue Jackets remains the talks involving Zach Werenski and the Dallas Stars and Jason Robertson, other teams are also poking around on Marchenko. The Montreal Canadiens, Utah Mammoth, Seattle Kraken and Philadelphia Flyers are among the clubs showing interest in the Blue Jackets forward.
Werenski remains the bigger-name situation, and Chris Johnston said on TSN that Columbus is still in the early stages of sorting through what it might get back. The Blue Jackets are weighing the offers and trying to determine the best path forward, but there’s another layer here: Werenski has a no-movement clause, so Columbus will eventually need to line up a deal that works for both the team and the player.
“But where the Blue Jackets are is they’re sorting through the offers or the packages that they believe will be available to them, trying to get a sense of maybe the best way for them to proceed on their side of the table. And at some point in time, I do think they’re going to have to get on the same page as Werenski himself, because obviously the player here has a no-movement clause.
You have teams like the Dallas Stars, the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, among others with interest in Werenski. But at some point in time, they’re going to have to line up what the best return could be for the team and a place that Zach Werenski himself wants to play.”
Werenski has two years left, and the longer this drags on, the tougher it could get. Columbus is looking for a return built around a player or players, with picks and prospects also expected to be part of the conversation. The Blue Jackets, for their part, want to keep moving the organization forward rather than taking a step back.
Elsewhere, Chris Johnston also doesn’t expect Rasmus Andersson or John Carlson to make it to the open market. His read is that Andersson remains on track to extend in Vegas.
“As of this day, I can tell you that the feeling is that remains on track for him to extend in Vegas.”
As for Carlson, Johnston said the Carolina Hurricanes have been in contract talks with the defenseman over the past 48 hours, and the direction there sounds promising.
“My sense, at least of Tuesday morning, was that was headed in the right direction, that John Carlsen liked the prospect of playing in Carolina.”
Nothing is finished until signatures are on the page, but both situations are trending toward deals getting done.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Suddenly Face The Core Shakeup Bowness Never Saw Coming
Rick Bowness didnt sound like a coach preparing for a routine offseason when he addressed the state of his Blue Jackets roster. The surprise came from the timing as much as the news itself, because he said the teams end-of-year meetings had wrapped with everyone on good terms before the situation shifted. For Columbus, it is a reminder that the front office and coaching staff may be staring at a very different core when next season opens.
Bowness has kept himself at arms length from the contract and trade conversations, saying he will coach the players who are in camp and leave the personnel side to Don Waddell and Judd Moldaver. Even so, the uncertainty hanging over major pieces of the roster is impossible to ignore, especially when it touches players the organization has leaned on as part of its longer-term plan. The next few months will tell whether this becomes a temporary disturbance or the start of a far bigger reset. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Face A Free Agency Crossroads That Could Reshape This Roster
The Hurricanes head into free agency with $11.105 million in cap space and most of last seasons roster already accounted for, but the real pressure point may be on the blue line. Restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin emerged as a major part of Carolinas plans as a rookie, and general manager Eric Tulsky has already made clear how important he is to the team, even if the exact contract path is still being sorted out.
Beyond Nikishin, Carolina is also weighing the rest of the market for ways to strengthen its lineup, with unrestricted free agent Mason Marchment among the names tied to the team. The fit is obvious enough: a club with a mostly set core still has room to add, but the way it balances a key young defenseman against outside help could determine whether this summer is about fine-tuning or something closer to a roster reset. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face Another Huge Decision On Elvis And Kent Johnson
The Blue Jackets are again staring at a roster decision that goes beyond simple asset management, with Aaron Portzline pointing to Kent Johnson as the kind of player Columbus is reluctant to move because of his skill and upside. That hesitation says as much about where the franchise is trying to go as any move on the table, since the front office is still weighing whether its next step should be built around young talent it believes in or around a cleaner reset elsewhere on the roster.
Elvis Merzlikins sits in a different category, but one that may be just as important for what Columbus wants next. The goalie situation has been a lingering issue, and the discussion around it is tied to a broader push to reshape the room and the teams culture before next season. Whether the Blue Jackets choose to make one of those changes, or hold on longer than expected, will say plenty about how aggressively they plan to alter the look and feel of this group. [Read more 🡒]