Connor McDavid may finally get the winger he needs as the Oilers chase a 30-goal scorer

The Edmonton Oilers are in on Kirill Marchenko, and as of Thursday afternoon they have company from Toronto and Montreal.

Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos reported the Oilers are looking at the Columbus right winger. The Maple Leafs and Canadiens are also in the mix.

And this one has real legs. Marchenko reportedly wants out of Columbus, and his contract carries no trade protection.

That leaves Don Waddell holding the only card that matters. The Blue Jackets GM picks the package he likes, and nobody gets to veto the destination.

Why should Stan Bowman care this much? Look at the 2024-25 line: 31 goals and 74 points.

The follow-up wasn't a fade either. He put up 67 points last season and finished plus-7.

Marchenko's cap hit is the real prize for Stan Bowman

The winger carries a $3,850,000 cap hit through 2026-27. For a guy with 102 career NHL goals, that's bargain-bin pricing.

Now look at the top of Edmonton's sheet. Leon Draisaitl counts $14,000,000 and Connor McDavid sits at $12,500,000.

Add Evan Bouchard at $10,500,000 and three players eat up $37,000,000. Every dollar underneath them has to overdeliver.

Think of it like a great sublet. The rent is cheap right now, and the awkward conversation with the landlord comes later.

Because he's a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights, whoever lands him keeps control past this season. No one-year rental here.

But the arbitration piece cuts both ways. An arbitrator staring at 208 career points in 292 games won't be shy with the number next summer.

Edmonton should push hard on this one anyway. A 6-foot-3 right shot who has scored 20-plus in every NHL season is exactly what a team built around McDavid and Draisaitl should be shopping for.

Toronto and Montreal won't make it easy. Both can sell top-six minutes and a big Canadian stage.

Columbus doesn't have to rush. The Blue Jackets blanked Pittsburgh 4-0 Thursday night, and Rick Bowness still has a lineup to settle.

Edmonton hasn't dropped one yet this fall, sitting 2-0 ahead of Saturday's home date with Calgary. The Canucks visit Tuesday for the first game that counts.

Here's a scheduling wrinkle worth circling. The Oilers visit Columbus on December 27 and host the Blue Jackets on January 15.

Picture Marchenko dressing in orange for one of those nights, facing the room he wanted out of.

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Three Canadian clubs bidding against each other is a seller's dream. The question for Bowman is simple and uncomfortable: how much future is he willing to put on the table to win this one?

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