The Calgary Flames continue to navigate their rebuild with GM Craig Conroy clearly paving the way towards contention. While the team has been mostly focused on selling, Conroy has made it clear that he’s willing to acquire players who fit the team’s timeline and are at the right price.
There have been many players the Flames have been connected to these past few months. One of them has been Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko. The Flames have reportedly been mentioned as a team that has expressed interest in the 26-year-old sniper in various trade rumours. If he does become available, would the Flames be among the teams that make a strong push?
Marchenko’s future in Columbus is uncertain
Columbus had quite the eventful offseason when it comes to the rumour mill. After speculation that star defenceman Zach Werenski wanted out, another report followed that Marchenko was unlikely to re-sign with the Blue Jackets after his contract was up. Since then, Werenski has stated his desire to remain in Columbus, but Marchenko’s future with the team remains a question mark. If the team continues to miss the playoffs, it could only give Marchenko more incentive to part ways.
Why would the Flames be interested in Marchenko?
If Marchenko does become available on the trade market, the Flames could be a team that expresses interest in the Russian winger. Marchenko would bring that scoring punch that the team would be looking for, as he’s in the middle of his prime right now. This past season, Marchenko scored 27 goals and 67 points. While he’s not entirely young, he would be a good player to complement the Flames’ young core. The Flames would also likely have the space to accommodate Marchenko’s next contract amount, which will be hefty. The question is whether the team should commit that type of money to that type of player.
What would the Flames have to give up?
There’s no doubt that a Marchenko trade would be quite pricey for whichever team acquires him. As for the Flames, while they do have a boatload of future assets they could offer, it still would have to be a trade that satisfies the Blue Jackets enough to pull the trigger, and that could be a lot.
The Flames would at least need to give up a first and a notable prospect in their system. Or if the Blue Jackets are looking for win-now pieces (which they probably would be), the Flames would likely need to part ways with a young forward on the roster (maybe a Matt Coronato or Matvei Gridin type player).
In short, it would take a lot from the Flames’ side to pull the trigger on a Marchenko deal. Looking at his age and position, would this be the smartest move for the Flames to do right now? Spoiler alert: probably not.
Does Marchenko make sense for the Flames?
Marchenko is probably a player who makes little to no sense for the Flames as of right now. Not only is he a winger (which the Flames have plenty of), he’s also 26. A package to acquire him would take a lot, more than the Flames would be comfortable with.
Given where the rebuild currently stands, it wouldn’t make sense for the Flames to add any win-now pieces. Instead, continue developing the young guys and hoping you get to select in the top three next draft. Marchenko is the type of player who would make sense for a contender or a team just coming out of its rebuild, looking to take the next step.
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