RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesA notable player agent shot down rumors involving a trade between the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets. Getty
Conflicting reports have emerged regarding one of the hottest Montreal Canadiens rumors this offseason.
Earlier this week, a report suggested that the Habs and the Columbus Blue Jackets were close to a deal involving forward Kirill Marchenko. The 26-year-old is currently in Russia, with the report coming out of said nation.
Almost immediately after the report broke, the rumor mill began churning the other way. Other reports suggested that there was no substance to the Marchenko discussion.
Most notably, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline poured cold water on the Canadiens chatter, indicating that there was nothing going on per his knowledge.
Told there’s nothing happening with #CBJ on the Kirill Marchenko front, despite rumors out of Russia to the contrary.
Not saying it can’t change later this summer. But my understanding is #CBJ have not had calls on Marchenko since earlier this summer.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) July 26, 2026
Portzline is solid. He’s been on the Blue Jackets beat for a while. So, if he says he hasn’t heard anything, he means it.
But this is where things could get a little dicey. Just because Portzline hasn’t heard about a Blue Jackets-Canadiens trade doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
Another data point to support the negatory on the Marchenko rumors comes from his agent, Dan Milstein.
The notable rep commented on a post by a completely fake “insider” account. It’s telling that Milstein would take the time on a supposed contract extension for Marchenko, refuting the alleged report.
Incredible reporting. Truly. The confidence here is doing a lot of heavy lifting, shame it’s not attached to anything real. But hey, the “likes” don’t know that. https://t.co/E7mgW7X3Yw
— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) July 26, 2026
So, there’s Portzline shutting the chatter down, and Milstein following it up. Could this entire Marchenko talk be a bunch of rubbish? Or is there something else afoot for the Canadiens?
Canadiens-Blue Jackets Rumors Could Be Doing More Harm than Good
One interesting point that Portzline made was that there hadn’t been any calls on Marchenko for a while.
Portzline could very well be right. To his knowledge, the Jackets haven’t gotten any calls on the Russian forward. But that doesn’t mean that information somehow leaked out and led to the reports.
Now, it’s interesting that the initial report came out of Russia. Who knows, Marchenko had a beer with a couple of buddies, and that’s how the “rumor” got out.
Anyone with experience in business and politics knows that there could be “informants” with an agenda looking to push a certain narrative or whatever.
While there is no indication that’s the case in Columbus, one has to wonder if this Canadiens-Blue Jackets rumor is actually doing more harm than good .
Could there have been a conversation at some point this summer, and after word got out, everyone just decided to back off?
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The last thing the Blue Jackets want at this point is for Marchenko to feel like the organization is being sloppy. Perhaps there was a conversation with the Canadiens, but it didn’t get to the point where Columbus could take the potential trade to Milstein.
That’s why Milstein had no idea about the situation, and promptly shut down the talk.
Whatever the case, it could be that the leak, if there was ever a real discussion with the Canadiens, effectively derailed any momentum trade talks have gained.
There are still a few weeks before the beginning of training camp. So, there’s time for a late-summer stunner to hit the airwaves.
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