Suggested Trade Sees Mammoth Land Kirill Marchenko in Blockbuster With Blue Jackets

With some speculation surrorunding Kirill Marchenko over the past few days, I figured it would be fun to take a look at a mock trade.

The recent reports that a deal involving Marchenko have been shut down for now, but the door was left wide open for a potential move later in the summer.

Told there’s nothing happening with #CBJ on the Kirill Marchenko front, despite rumors out of Russia to the contrary.

Not saying it can’t change later this summer. But my understanding is #CBJ have not had calls on Marchenko since earlier this summer.

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) July 26, 2026

With that in mind, one team that makes sense for the Columbus Blue Jackets’ star forward is the Utah Mammoth, who seem ready to take that next step and try to make a push for a Stanley Cup. They might be one or two pieces away from being considered serious contenders, and a huge move like this could be exactly what they need.

In this article, we will take a quick look at a hypothetical deal between the Mammoth and Blue Jackets. Keep in mind, while there has been a lot of speculation surrounding Marchenko this offseason, there is no reason to believe these two teams have spoken, or that any deal with any team is imminent.

Mammoth Land Star Forward, Blue Jackets Receive Haul in Return

Marchenko, who is 26 years old, might be one of the most underrated forwards in the NHL, but he will still cost any team trying to acquire him a lot.

Last season with the Blue Jackets, he scored 27 goals and added 40 assists for 67 points through 76 games. Throughout his career, he has scored 102 goals and added 106 assists for 208 points through 292 games.

The Blue Jackets have made it clear previously that they would like to keep Marchenko and expect him to be with the team for the start of the 2026-27 season, but if he isn’t interested in extending, they would be smart to try and move him for a monster trade return, rather than lose him for nothing, or risk losing him to an offer sheet next summer, considering he is a restricted free agent at the conclusion of his current deal.

The Mammoth would be smart to try and have an extension attached to Marchenko, which they can afford to give him. According to PuckPedia, they have just under $26 million in cap space for the 2027-28 season, when an extension would kick in. Realistically, a seven-year extension likely comes in around $12 million annually.

Realistically, a trade looks like the Mammoth acquiring Marchenko, with the seven-year extension attached, in exchange for Dmitri Simashev, Jack McBain, their first-round pick in 2027, and another first-round pick either in 2028 or 2029.

The Blue Jackets likely want NHL-ready assets in return, which they get in both Simashev and McBain. Simashev played 28 games with the Mammoth last season, notching one assist, and seems ready to make the full-time jump to the NHL this season. McBain, who is 26 years old, has 316 games of NHL experience under his belt, where he has scored 44 goals and added 63 assists for 107 points.

On top of that, they add two first-round picks, which they could use to try and add another player to replace Marchenko, or use to add to their prospect pool.

The expectation is that Marchenko will start the season with the Blue Jackets, barring a last-minute change of heart, but if that changes, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Mammoth were involved and tried to land him.

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