Edmonton Oilers showing trade interest in Blue Jackets star winger: report
The Edmonton Oilers appear to be keeping an eye on one of the more intriguing names currently available on the trade market.
As per Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, the Oilers are one of several teams that have interest in Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens are also reportedly interested in the 26-year-old winger.
Marchenko is coming off back-to-back seasons in which he has established himself as a legitimate offensive threat. He’s coming off a 2025-26 campaign which saw him put up 27 goals and 67 points in 76 outings.
There had been rumblings that Marchenko was wanting a change of scenery, and he all but admitted so himself during his first media availability in training camp. He’s set to enter the final season of a three-year deal which carries an extremely team-friendly $3.85 million cap hit.
Following the expiration of his current deal, Marchenko is set to become a RFA. The issue for the Oilers, and several other teams who would love to have him, is that it will be extremely difficult to afford him once this deal is up.
Another issue for Edmonton is that they simply don’t have the salary cap space to absorb his current contract.
As per Puckpedia, the Oilers have roughly $1.08 million in cap space. That leaves them roughly $2.77 million short of being able to take on Marchenko’s full contract. While the Blue Jackets could theoretically retain up to 50 per cent of his cap hit, that’s extremely unlikely given how much value he has.
In order for the Oilers to pull off such a deal, they would likely need to find a way to move money out, though that isn’t an easy feat either. The vast majority of forwards on their roster carry some form of trade protection, and waiving that to go from a Stanley Cup contender in the Oilers to a struggling organization like the Blue Jackets doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Nonetheless, Kypreos identifying Edmonton as a team trying to make something work with Columbus, it’s a situation worth monitoring throughout the 2026-27 season, particularly around the trade deadline, which is set for March 1.
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