The Edmonton Oilers lost out on Jordan Kyrou this Monday, and Stan Bowman's search for a legitimate top-six winger just got more complicated.
Kyrou is headed to Washington, taking one of the most coveted available wingers off the board before the Oilers could make their move.
The conversation immediately shifted. Within hours, trade chatter on social media turned toward Columbus and Kirill Marchenko as a possible target.
The Mug NHL posted a specific package on X: Isaac Howard, Beau Akey, Edmonton's 2028 first, and their 2026 second for Marchenko.
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That's a real ask. Whether Bowman goes there is another question entirely.
Marchenko's numbers make him one of the most affordable top-six forwards available
Marchenko, 25, posted 27 goals and 67 points over 76 games this season for the Blue Jackets, carrying a $3,850,000 cap hit.
That's a legitimate top-six winger producing at a mid-tier cost. For a team with $115 million already committed across 35 contracts, value matters.
He also went plus-7 on the year with 7 game-winning goals. He's not a rental. He's a 25-year-old forward with upside who can play on the right side of a top line.
The Oilers' version of the offer centered on Isaac Howard, who logged just 5 points in 29 games this season at $950,000 on his entry-level deal.
Howard went minus-6 on the year. In his last 10, he had no goals and went minus-3. Columbus would need to believe heavily in the projection here.
Beau Akey is a defensive prospect not yet established at the NHL level. Neither player is a proven commodity. Add two picks and you're asking Columbus to gamble on futures for a confirmed 67-point forward.
Don Waddell has been around long enough to know what a discount offer looks like.
The Blue Jackets finished 18th overall at 40-30-12, going 2-7-1 in their last 10. Rebuilding? Not exactly. They're closer to a team that just missed the cut and needs to decide which direction they're headed.
Selling Marchenko cheap doesn't fit that profile. This isn't a team burning the roster down. They just need a better supporting cast around Adam Fantilli, who put up 59 points in his first full NHL season at age 21.
Trading your best winger for a prospect who has 5 NHL points and some draft capital is the kind of deal that gets a GM fired two years later.
What Edmonton actually needs is someone who can skate with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, both of whom have already proven they can carry a line. The question is whether the third piece in any given night is good enough to finish.
Marchenko, at 25 with 67 points, absolutely fits that description. The price in that proposed package almost certainly doesn't.
Bowman has to figure something out. The Oilers went 6-2-2 over their last 10 and finished 14th overall with 93 points, but their top-six depth remains thin outside of McDavid and Draisaitl.
Missing on Kyrou stings. The next name on the list better be worth the wait.
Should the Oilers include their 2028 first-round pick in a package for Kirill Marchenko?
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