While there has been plenty of speculation about Kirill Marchenko’s future in Columbus, don’t expect anything to be coming on the trade front for the winger. Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that the intention remains for him to be at training camp with the team in a couple of weeks. He confirmed that teams have been calling about the 26-year-old but that the deal also has to help the Blue Jackets. Marchenko had 27 goals and 40 assists in 76 games last season and has one year left on his bridge deal worth $3.85MM. He’s a candidate to perhaps triple that on his next contract and reportedly indicated to the team before the draft that he’d prefer not to re-sign with them. If a trade is coming, it doesn’t appear it will be happening soon.
More from the Metropolitan:
Speaking with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, Capitals GM Chris Patrick provided an update on defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who is recovering from ACL surgery. Patrick is hopeful that the 26-year-old will be on the shorter end of the six-to-nine-month recovery timeline from the procedure that was done on April 22nd based on how his recovery is going. Even if that’s the case, he’s poised to miss at least the first four weeks of the season, making him a strong candidate to land on LTIR early on if more short-term cap flexibility is needed. Sandin had 29 points in 73 games last season in a little over 19 minutes per game of playing time.
While the Flyers didn’t address the center position this summer, don’t expect one of their top prospects to get an extended audition. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic relays that Philadelphia’s plan for Jett Luchanko is for him to play the full season with AHL Lehigh Valley. The 20-year-old played in four regular season games in each of the last two seasons while otherwise playing in the OHL. He had 43 points in 38 regular season games at that level last season and could certainly benefit from an extended stint with the Phantoms to acclimate him to the pro game. Trevor Zegras, who spent some time down the middle late last season, is a viable candidate to be tried there in training camp.