David Pastrnak just followed Kirill Marchenko on Instagram, and the Bruins are already among the teams interested in the Blue Jackets forward.
NHL Follow Tracker flagged the follow on Friday, and Bruins fans wasted no time connecting the dots.
The timing helps. Elliotte Friedman listed Boston among the teams interested in Marchenko on Friday's 32 Thoughts.
The Maple Leafs, he said, have tried to keep their own interest secret, "but it's kind of seeped out."
Nick Kypreos reported Thursday on Sportsnet that the winger desperately wants out of Columbus.
He's worth the noise. Marchenko put up 67 points in 76 games last season.
So does a follow actually mean anything?
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Bruins fans spot major Kirill Marchenko clue hiding on Instagram
Probably not much on its own. Players follow each other all the time, and the follow button doesn't come with a first-round pick attached.
But the Bruins are one of seven teams Friedman named, along with Toronto, Montreal, the Islanders, Winnipeg, Vegas and Seattle.
Pastrnak carries an $11,250,000 cap hit, the biggest on the Bruins. He also scored on the power play last night in a 3-2 overtime loss at Washington.
Marchenko's $3,850,000 cap hit runs through this season, and restricted free agency comes after that.
The Blue Jackets drafted him 49th overall in 2018, and he has yet to play an NHL playoff game.
The Bruins make more sense than the Leafs here. A 26-year-old right shot with 102 NHL goals would slide in next to a star instead of waiting behind one.
Reading an Instagram follow is like spotting two neighbors chatting at the mailbox. It might be nothing, but the whole street is going to talk about it anyway.
The winger scored shorthanded in a 4-0 preseason win over Pittsburgh on Thursday, the same day the Kypreos report landed.
Marco Sturm's Bruins wrapped their preseason at 2-1-1 and open the regular season Tuesday at home against the Rangers.
The Blue Jackets visit Detroit tonight, then open October 1 against Buffalo.
Don Waddell has seven suitors and a player who wants out. Now he also has a Bruins star very publicly paying attention.
Should the Bruins make a real push to trade for Kirill Marchenko?
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