Latest Marchenko News… Is A TRADE Coming?! Habs In The Mix?

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1:00Give your pet the best with Little Bear pet supplies, a proudly family business here in Montreal for over 30 years. Chuck Eddie and their All Star staff have you taken care of with all the top brands at the best prices and they really care for your pets. Shop online at LittleBareOnline.com or visit them on St. Catherine across from Westmount Square. It's Little Bear pet supply. Brought to you by McClain's Pub. Head over to McClain's Pub, 1210 Peel Street in the heart of downtown Montreal. Great food, cold drinks and big games on all the screens. McClain's Pub, good times and great company. Welcome back to star and to mecoandyoutube.com and wherever you get your favorite audio podcast platforms, there's Mark O'Lean Sean. Oh boy, things are getting lit AF as the kids on the street. I'd like to say, I always hate saying that because I don't hang out with kids on the street. You know, so it's kind of a weird thing to say, but I digress. However the list, oh, Mark, oh, you ready for another cool kid, Lingo drop? No cap. Career Mara Chenco and his days with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

2:03Oh, my lord. What the hell's going on? First he's not at the golf tournament. Then his general manager, Don Woodell, pops up on the eye test with Jimmy Murphy and Pierre McGuire and it doesn't take an FBI forensic expert to read between the lines when he talks about, I don't care what the player of the agent say. I mean, I know what that means in my little P brain that the player wants out of Columbus. Your reaction, first of all, to Don Woodell's comments about Career Mara Chenco with Jimmy and Pierre on the eye test. I encourage you to go check it out for yourself and watch the interview. Good job, boys. Well, I'll just read the quote out first before we put any words in anybody's mouth. Where does this of what the agent and career want? He is an important part of our team and he has a great cap hit. I'm not replacing his talent or his goal is a 3.85 million. That's for sure. I'm listening and that's all I can do as a general manager.

3:04I can't just close it off. I got to say, tell me what you're thinking and if it makes sense and it helps the Columbus Blue Jackets, we'll take a serious look at it. Just before that, he said, I've said every player on my roster for the most part is tradable. Clearly, he almost traded his franchise defenseman. In Careels case, he's our leading goal scorer puts up a lot of points and goals and he's got a great cap hit. I think it's the 3.85 million dollar for one more year. We can't just take him out of our lineup and not replace that. So there's two things to take into consideration here. A, regardless of what the agent or career wants, we're going to unpack that in a sec. But the other one is, did you see how he positioned his asset? Yes. Yes. 3.85, all that scoring, one more year. Leading goal score. Yeah.

4:04This is the one thing that everybody needs to understand when it comes to Columbus. Our issue is not Marchenko right now. Their issue is Adam Fantilly. And I would be floored. If Adam Fantilly doesn't get them to start the season on LTIR, they have 14.9 million dollars in cap space right now. I think he's going to bust that. And if he busts that, they're going to have to start on LTIR, thankfully because of all this Merced Leakins. That's right. But the issue here and what really kind of sets this into another gear is. You can't replace 60, 70 points at 3.85 million unless you're getting a player on an entry level deal. So. There is no way I find. There is no way that Don Waddala is going to be able to get a dollar for dollar.

5:09Impact player like they're getting from Carole Marchenko. Marchenko was deal currently. And I know there's only one year left. But just if we're going to focus on the year of 2026, 2027, based on what he did last year in the year prior, he is one of the best bargains in the NHL at his salary. And they're already going to be a cap team. They're going to need LTIR just to be compliant once they sign Fantilly, if they sign Fantilly. I don't know where Don Waddala is getting this idea that he's going to perform a Danny Heatley versus. Marian Hosa 2.0. Because this is a player that's going to be making double digit millions on his next deal. And so there is no hope for Waddel. In my opinion, to replace a guy like Marchenko, given their cap situation, unless they move out another player and weaken themselves further, then to trade Marchenko for high end in NHL or close to assets that can help them this season and for the future.

6:14That's that's my read of the situation. But I liked and I'll read I have to find it. I have to hear it is. I've said all along, we need roster players or particularly one player. I've been on this side of the trade too many times where I've traded Danny Heatley, Marian Hosa, when you're trading the best player in a deal, it's hard to make a good deal because you always give up the best player. You get a lot of pieces, a lot of assets, but you still don't get the best piece. And that's generally the thing. It's rare that you traded a player and you don't get the best asset in that deal. Montreal looked out. They got their number one center that way in trading Max Petriready for him. But Wadell has been burned in the past this way. And my issue is, the longer this takes, the less likely his vision of what he wants is going to happen. That's right. And you know, you also have to consider that Columbus has to be good if they're going to convince Zach Orensky to stay.

7:17Never mind the fact that he killed Makarge, a sign for 20 million. What is what is Zach Orensky going to want next summer? It's more the fact of you're going to have to sign Phantilly as well. And how do you convince Phantilly that there's going to be a future in Columbus, unless you rectify this situation? So I feel like Don Wadell has done a very good job in trying to put up the necessary barriers around his organization to show that they are not in a pickle. But this is remember when we're talking about the Canadians identifying teams that could be in a pickle. That's right. This is one of them. And you know, and you look at their cap structure, a lot of their players with full no moves, full no trades. You know, it's not a, it's not going to be easy for them to not only get cap compliant, ladies and gentlemen, but to even have flexibility to add because on paper, this team is not making the playoffs with respect to Columbus fans.

8:22This team is not making the playoffs in the Metro with an improved Washington Carolina and improved the Rangers. I'm not saying the Rangers are the cats me out here. I'm just saying the Rangers are not going to be anywhere near as bad as they were last year, which is very bad. And then you have the islanders and then you have, you know, it's constant in that sense. So I believe that it's going to be very difficult for them to maintain pace. And it's going to put more pressure on them as the season goes on to rip the band aid off. But sorry, and I made a mistake at the beginning of this episode. They're projected to have 12.6. Yeah, so I thought it was 12.5 million. Yeah, when you said that, I was really, what did I miss? I was a last, as the beginning of the month. So if they sign Phantilly for 15, there are 2.5 million, they get 3.9 million in temporary relief for Elvis, Elvis, Miss Leakins. Which means that they would have only 1.5 million. And that 1.5 million that they would have in space. If they sign Phantilly in LTIR does not get any bigger as the season goes on as we remember with the Montreal Canadians at the start of this rebuild.

9:29So it puts them in a pickle and I go back. They're not going to trade the Nichou skin. They just got them. Coil signed recently and has a full no move. Connor Garland was acquired. His new deal just kicked in. Full no move. John Monahan, full no move. Cole Sylinger just signed him after they refused to trade him. And then you have Demitri Varankov, Caril Marcchenko, Olivier Matsuer, which they would be crazy to trade. Miles Wood, that would make a little bit more sense. And Ken Johnson. None of the players that I mentioned to you make more than 4.1 million. Even Ken Johnson makes 1.8. You don't trade that right now. And even defensively, Lorenzki has an old move. We know. Provarov has an old move. Severuson has a full no trade. Dottet Fabros making a measly 4 million. He's a right shot D. You don't necessarily want to trade that. Good Branson's making 1.8. So if they're going to get any form of cap.

10:30If it's probably going to be a Varankov trade. Or a Miles Wood trade. And I think Varankov makes the most sense given the situation. The fact that he was in red bonuses doghouse. You know, I love the the sharpiness of professional sports for a lot of different reasons. And I can't help but think out loud about, you know, teams that are under a cap crunch. Trying to squeeze them to get that competitive advantage. And, you know, for you as a as a predatory team. Trying to take full advantage of a team. Let's say like Columbus in this conversation, right? And I wonder the waiting game. You know, kind of playing a game of chicken. Way to see just how bad this situation turns into between Carilla Marchenko and the Columbus Blue Jackets. You know, you play the best case worst case scenario game. And in the worst case, you know, camp opens up for Columbus and let's say hypothetically speaking a guy like Carilla Marchenko isn't there. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Now, well, how much how much pressure and the other thing to me is that how much did that change that Irish.

11:34It's not no, it's totally not. And I wonder how much players like Zach Korinsky, Carilla Marchenko. How much of their attitude. Sowered after Rick bonuses comments in the end of last season, we basically threw the team under the bus. And then the whole management brings back Rick bonus and that changed the dynamic of how certain players feel. And if we connect Carilla Marchenko, let's go the whole way. Let's talk about the connection to Montreal for a second. Okay. You tell me, am I out to lunch with what I'm about to propose lunch. Okay. The Elvismer's Likens factor is interesting. Right. What about the Oliver cabinet? What about Jacob Fowler? Um, and they had one one and I parted all over again. And he came up with two things? It was really one that Richard Rusket winning the last season in Minnesota City-Kia Holp, I wanted him to. Was sat down, but 22 Golds.

12:35Last season, you want an NHL body? as the Canadians have become the envy of the league, how they found a guy like Alexander Zorowski at 34th overall in the second round who's off to a good season, a good start to his season over in the KHL. Would that wet the whistle for a guy like Don Woodell when you package in Jacob Fowler, Oliver Capon and Alexander Zorowski? Is that what Ken Hughes and Jeff Gordon have talked about when they say overpay for the right player? So that's my question. Is that an overpay and his Karil Marchenko or a right player for the Montreal Canadian? I don't think Jacob Fowler makes a ton of sense in this kind of a trade, simply just because Jack Greaves just got signed to an extension. Right. Young enough, goalie 25 years old. They drafted if I'm not mistaken, Andrejanov as well in the first round. Yes, there he is. I can never get that Russian Peter, right? But Peter Andrejano. Peter. After the first, Peter last year.

13:36So I, they have their current goalie, they feel like they have their goalie of the future as well. I don't necessarily see the point. I'm not saying that Jacob Fowler's not valuable. I just, if you're going to look for a premium piece, it'll probably be on defense, right? And I think that's where you look at an Adam Ekstrom. That's where if they can make the cap work, that's where you look at a Caden Gouli. Right. I don't think they're going to be able to replace his impact as a one player deal. Agreed. If you can give him, if you can give him at least two NHLers, one of which is on is, is cost control this season in Oliver Capinan and it plays a position of importance at center. And a Caden Gouli, who's also an insurance policy in case something happens to Warenski, I'm not saying they're on the same level. I'm just saying they play the same position. Then and, and, and, and both are cost control because one's in RFA and the other one's signed for an additional four years, that gives you a lot of control to be able to then wheel from a position of strength, right?

14:39And so that's where I'm thinking, right? Because you also have to remember, they can go over the cap and the Columbus Blue Jackets all the way until the first day of the season. So they still have room to move if they decided to do something from Archenko. But yeah, there's, there's, there's a lot of pieces up on the board because again, this, they're, I don't think they're going to do anything unless they have some level of assurance from Fantilly. And I'm not sure that Fantilly is going to do anything unless he gets some sort of assurance that he's either going to deal with it blows his socks off or the Blue Jackets make a deal that absolutely changes the outlook for winning in Columbus. Second part of that question. Is Carole Marchenko, in your opinion, the type of player that you think the Canadians would be comfortable overpaying to bring in? Is he worthy of that tag?

15:41I think Carole Marchenko can be a 35 plus goal score next to Ivan Demedok. Some I've even said 40. I always, I'm always kind of in the middle. He scored 31 already in his career. I think he can, with a guy like, like Demedok, I think you could make magic. And if Michael H joins the group, watch out because that's, that'll be some dual threat, second line scoring right there. Is it worth overpaying for? Listen, I don't think Carole Marchenko is a top 10 winger in the NHL, but I think you're acquiring specific personas. You want goal scores at this point. You want guys of a certain size. I'm not saying that he's a, he's as physical as his hockey, his hockey DB page will show you, but the reach, the skating, the dynamism in his game, the shot, the vision, to me, as an offensive player,

16:41this is a guy that you can build a line around in a top six. So I guess absolutely, I think he's the kind of player that you can throw some good money at. And the benefit in his case is that, that camaraderie, obviously, with Ivan Demedov, the fact that his agent and Kent Hughes knew each other quite well, yes. But also, if you're coming to Montreal, you're coming into a culture, you're coming into a Bayern culture. So the idea is, if this deal happens before, but to be with Montreal, that to be with the New York Islanders who are also interested to be with the Ottawa Senators, who have also demonstrated inches, that'd be the Utah Mammoth, that have also demonstrated inches, there's no shortage of interest. This isn't Montreal or Boston or Marchenko, if there isn't deal to be had. But I'm curious about the September 16th date, and if that puts pressure on him. I'm curious. What about the other layer of pressure? I love that you brought up, because that's the direction I wanted to kind of take this conversation into, was agents knowing each other, Kent Hughes coming from with his background,

17:42Dan Milstein and the relationship that Kent Hughes has with that agent specifically, right? Now, I'm just riffing, I'm just speculating here. But there's part of me that does believe that Kent Hughes, and then by default, Don Woodell also know that there's a chance that Marchenko holds out and doesn't go to camp. So if you're Don Woodell, right? Then why wouldn't you make the deal ASAP? Because if a player plays super hardball and doesn't go to camp and this drags out, again, I'll go back to the shark allergy, and they're swimming, they're swirling, and there's gonna be blood in the water. Now the value logically dips significantly. So why not make the deal now if they already have access to the information about just how sour this player is with this current team? Because losing that trade in the short term will have greater consequences than many believe.

18:42That's why. And that's the only card that a guy like Marchenko can play in this situation is a holdout. It's not like he has a contract extension. Yeah, right. It's not like Fantilly would hold out and wouldn't have to report to camp. If Marchenko doesn't report to camp, the Blue Jacket's simply just suspend him. But then what does that do to his contract? What does that do to his trade value? What does that do to Columbus' positioning? And so it can get messy, it can. And I think Don Woodell has had all summer to try to convince Marchenko to stay, doesn't seem based on Woodell's words, that that's changed, it's not changed based on what I've heard. The only thing I could tell you is, first of all, Montreal, I think the only one in this. So, but I do think that there is a desire on Marchenko's camp to get this done sooner than later. There is the other side of this conversation when you talk about Montreal's not the only team, right?

19:42You dropped a couple of other organizations in the New York Islanders, poking around Utah, Ottawa Senators, for example. But to me, he's the type of player that I feel like you can't let him go. Because if you have the assets and the flexibility to bring in a player of his caliber at his age and the role that he could play, and you project about the potential goal totals that Marchenko could hit on a line with Ivan Demidoff over the course of a full season, almost like the Dylan Cousin situation, but better in that if you have the cash to spend and the assets, he falls into that category speaking now about the Montreal Canadians, you can't let anybody, certainly not the Ottawa Senators in your own fricking division. But you can't, if he's out there, man, this is a player you cannot afford to be outbid by another team. Yeah, I mean, look, the Islanders are one of them. So they have the prospects to give,

20:43they have current assets to give as well. So, you know, it's, I think him changing is tuned to, Carole Marchenko will be a Columbus Blue Jacket at the start of the season to all my players are available. You just have to give me a deal to make sense. That is, you just have to give me a deal to make sense. That is, give me, you know, that is pure, give me an offer, blow my socks off rhetoric. And I think there are gonna be other teams that are interested and other teams may put packages that have more NHL ready pieces. But again, you know, even the New York Islanders, are you gonna give up Victor Eckland? Right. Are you gonna give up Brett Richie? Because who, like what do they realistically have the Islanders that they could afford to part with

21:43that would make sense for the Columbus Blue Jackets that currently play in the NHL? And the answer to that question is, and I respect, and again, I say this respectfully to Islanders fans, not much. It would be a pure futures move, right? Because you look at their lineup, Barzell's not going anywhere, Horvath's not going anywhere, Shen is 35 years old, Palat, not happening, Pajot full no trade clause, Paul Meary 35 years old, Simon Holmstrom, they really like him over there. Emil Heinemann, what, a 15. Yeah. Nice career. I'll see it happening, Matias Michele, I don't see it happening. Anthony Duclair, no trade, I don't see the interest from Columbus's side. Casey Cisekis, pending free agent. And then you look at defensively, Alexander Romanov, that could make sense. He has a, you know, he has, you already have a proverb on your team. I'm not saying there's a Russian quote of him, I'm just saying like, how many injury prone left shot

22:46defensemen do you need? I'm the same applies to Caden Gouli, I'm gonna say, be honest here. But Adam Palak 32 years old, Tony the Angelo 30 is old, Scott Mayfield 33. So again, it would be a future's heavy move from the Islander's perspective as well. Who do the Islanders have the dick at sacrifice that is, that has done what? I don't know, Oliver Kappinan has done. Exactly, yeah. Yeah. You know, Utah, it makes a little bit more sense. Though they can't trade barred Hayton because of the off-per-sheet, there are other options for them to move that could make sense. Ottawa, you know, Ottawa would be futures heavy as well, unless they're willing to sacrifice a shame, Pinto or a Ridley Greig, but again, you know, who are you banking on more long term from a production perspective, right? So this is why he's asking teams to step up because ideally he wants a one for one where he's getting a high end player, maybe not as good as Marchenko, but a high end player. The problem is that at this point of the season,

23:47good luck finding that. And I think that's it. Well, that's it. And the moment that Woodell even considers teetering from that ask is I think when the real conversation is going to start happening with Marchenko, whether that's in the next week or whether that's in season leading up to the holiday freeze, that remains to be determined. That's why I think the capinan, you know, hypothetical discussion is intriguing, at least in my mind. You know, again, you're not, you're, you're, basically you're closing the gap. Yes, you're not getting a player as good as Carill Marchenko, but you're closing the gap with a guy with room to grow into his game. How much do you believe the room is left in terms of captain's ultimate ceiling is up to you as an individual, but you're selling a guy potentially that scored 22 goals in the national hockey league and that's not nothing. That's something. So in his first year, so that's right. A lot of people will then say, well, why are you training him? And the answer to that question is because they feel perhaps that there are, with Michael Hage coming in,

24:49they'll be set at center in the top. That's right. And third line centers and fourth line centers can be acquired throughout the year and developed internally. So you got to get to get in this league. I get it. I really, I do, but at the same time, you know, it's all, it's, it's a work in progress. This team is not going to be built into a soundly cup contender in the next six months. Thanks for watching today's video. Don't forget to subscribe to the channels. We marched towards 20,000 subscribers on YouTube.com. Of course, darned to me go available in your favorite audio podcast platforms. Thank you for your ongoing support. I point you in the direction of our valued and Montreal-based sponsors cheapest t-shirts.ca, McLean's pub, the spot to go to before and after any major event in Montreal or perfect for that Friday, Saturday, Sunday, date night, McLean's pub go up to their sister pub up the street at Mizone Public McLean's, the home of a darned meko looking forward to a couple of remote shows during the course of the season. And so, we're going to go to the website at cablatel.com, the trusted authority. When it comes to home security, you can find out more information

25:52on their website, cablatel.com, Instacustoms.com for all your customized gear. And of course, all your pets needs met through Chuck and Evie and their wonderful staff at Little Bear Pets Appliance and Catherine across from Westmount Square shop online at LittleBareOnline.com. All right, brother, good stuff. Enjoy the weekend and double catch up again. It sounds like applying, guys. Everybody have a great weekend. We'll talk soon.