Speculation: Armchair GM - 2026 CBJ Offseason Roster Moves, Rumors, and Discussion

[Aaaarrgghh]

And who is the top 6 coming back from Utah? We are openly stating we are not going to take a step back as this is a crossroads year.

Why all these mock trades are hurting my brain everyone is like give me the shiny new toy when they don’t realize we have a player at 2 years control, one of which is at an extremely low cap hit.

A Marchenko trade is going to badly hurt whoever takes him and even his own agent has said that.

If you take Marchenko for straight futures might as well go ahead and trade Z and get the rebuild started.

I don't see a Marchenko trade that benefits the team and they get a current roster player back. If they trade Marchenko this off-season, it's pretty much given to me that the team will be worse off and Werenski gone next off-season anyway.

 

[Indy18]

I don't see a Marchenko trade that benefits the team and they get a current roster player back. If they trade Marchenko this off-season, it's pretty much given to me that the team will be worse off and Werenski gone next off-season anyway.

Exactly...so WHY do we trade now?

This is the question all these Habs posters are missing...why are we trading to go back into a rebuild...for us to do this it has to be worth our while short and long term. You don't trade just because someone got their feelings hurt.

 

[Aaaarrgghh]

Exactly...so WHY do we trade now?

This is the question all these Habs posters are missing...why are we trading to go back into a rebuild...for us to do this it has to be worth our while short and long term. You don't trade just because someone got their feelings hurt.

I know, I agree. Which is why I started my post with if they trade him.

 

[SC Cannon]

Exactly...so WHY do we trade now?

This is the question all these Habs posters are missing...why are we trading to go back into a rebuild...for us to do this it has to be worth our while short and long term. You don't trade just because someone got their feelings hurt.

Simple, Marchenko is dying to play there. I'm just waiting for the Marchenko as a kid with a Habs pillowcase picture to drop.

 

[Indy18]

Simple, Marchenko is dying to play there. I'm just waiting for the Marchenko as a kid with a Habs pillowcase picture to drop.

I will laugh if this ends up being nothing and the Habs got jobbed by him so hard by his agent.

 

[SC Cannon]

I will laugh if this ends up being nothing and the Habs got jobbed by him so hard by his agent.

If theres a god that'll happen

 

[Banana duck]

Simple, Marchenko is dying to play there. I'm just waiting for the Marchenko as a kid with a Habs pillowcase picture to drop.

I just got lectured by a Habs fan on Reddit that I needed to face reality that “this is going to happen” and because “he’s going to force his way there” we will have to accept whatever that give us.

This is the worst timeline.

 

[SC Cannon]

I just got lectured by a Habs fan on Reddit that I needed to face reality that “this is going to happen” and because “he’s going to force his way there” we will have to accept whatever that give us.

This is the worst timeline.

Marchenko's Habs are gonna have some epic battles with Werenski's Leafs.

 

[Indy18]

Sidebar, lately one of my guilty pleasures has been basically f***ing with AI "logic" since everyone loves to outsourcing their critical thinking to machined learning now

(It kicked out the ideal package for Marchenko was going to be Guhle + Bolduc)

 

[Banana duck]

Sidebar, lately one of my guilty pleasures has been basically f***ing with AI "logic" since everyone loves to outsourcing their critical thinking to machined learning now

(It kicked out the ideal package for Marchenko was going to be Guhle + Bolduc)
View attachment 1272963

It’s breaking my brain interacting with that fanbase.

“This isn’t like Amazon, Marchenko can’t just be shopped to any team”

 

[tunnelvision]

I don't see a Marchenko trade that benefits the team and they get a current roster player back. If they trade Marchenko this off-season, it's pretty much given to me that the team will be worse off and Werenski gone next off-season anyway.

I’m afraid that keeping Marchenko isn’t going to impress Werenski enough to stay either. With Marchenko you might have a slightly more competitive team this year but he would still be on the way out and Werenski knows it. It can be argued that the return for Marchenko could be better next year but Werenski or any player on the remaining core wouldn’t know for sure if the player(s) coming back are a good fit and going to help them taking the next step in 2027/28 because they hadn’t played a game together yet.

If instead you trade Marchenko now, at least we get to see concretely how the team can compete without Marchenko. In best case scenario (or one of) we end up with a tighter group that performs above expectations and Werenski decides he wants to extend (although I’m 95% certain he’s a goner as well regardless)

 

[majormajor]

I’m afraid that keeping Marchenko isn’t going to impress Werenski enough to stay either. With Marchenko you might have a slightly more competitive team this year but he would still be on the way out and Werenski knows it. It can be argued that the return for Marchenko could be better next year but Werenski or any player on the remaining core wouldn’t know for sure if the player(s) coming back are a good fit and going to help them taking the next step in 2027/28 because they hadn’t played a game together yet.

If instead you trade Marchenko now, at least we get to see concretely how the team can compete without Marchenko. In best case scenario (or one of) we end up with a tighter group that performs above expectations and Werenski decides he wants to extend.

That makes sense if you're getting a great player back.

If there's truth to the latest rumors I don't know where he'd go. Are the Habs trading us, like, Slafkovsky? But he's more like an ideal third-best player on a top line.

Would Marchenko go to Buffalo? I have a sneaking suspicion Helenius is going to be a great player.

 

[Cheddarcheese]

honestly trading Marchenko and Z would put us in such a good spot in 3 years. I'm kind of tried of not being good enough and not being bad enough for good picks LOL. i think our contract situation is awful Don didn't take any risk signing guys long term. there no reason why Marchenko shouldn't have been signed 7-8 years for 6-9million when he signed that bridge, we all knew he was going to be a star.

 

[Cheddarcheese]

That makes sense if you're getting a great player back.

If there's truth to the latest rumors I don't know where he'd go. Are the Habs trading us, like, Slafkovsky? But he's more like an ideal third-best player on a top line.

Would Marchenko go to Buffalo? I have a sneaking suspicion Helenius is going to be a great player.

if were trading to Montreal it needs to be package around Hage.

Buffalo i wouldn't mind Helenius and Mrtka

 

[EspenK]

We should just fire Bowness and rehire Torts...

 

[Ice9]

If you were to randomly pick a group of people and call them lazy or soft, why is it assumed that the only people who would take offense to that would be the lazy or soft ones? In the real world hard working people also take offense when you call them lazy. And Marchenko is clearly one of the hardest working players we have. It's more likely he's offended because it isn't true.

In any case, we have no idea if Bowness has anything to do with this. It's a bit silly to spend so much time talking about it when it's likely unrelated.

If I’m the offended party and I believe I’ve been lumped in with the offenders or wrongly accused myself I’m going in to get it cleared up rather than throw a fit or take part in some phony ass production to separate myself from the real slackers. Either he hates Columbus, he’s being misled by an agent or he’s a soft idiot who can’t handle his business…

 

[Crede777]

If Marchenko changed his mind about wanting to be in Columbus in the span of 3-4 weeks, then he could easily change his mind again over the course of next season.

 

[SC Cannon]

If Marchenko changed his mind about wanting to be in Columbus in the span of 3-4 weeks, then he could easily change his mind again over the course of next season.

The shitty part is even if they wanted to stay, I'm not sure we could fit Fantilli, Z, and Marchenko in the current cap situation.

Not that they all will want to, we just couldn't if we tried I feel like.

 

[Doggy]

This thread has become a complete downer for me. It seems like for every step forward (Greaves signing or Choo Choo trade) it seems we take five steps back.

I feel like I am watching Dark Matter. One moment you are living your best life (sitting in second place with fifteen games to go in the season and pundits calling you the hottest team in the league), you have the wife, the family, the best friend, the job, etc. Walking home from the pub, BAM, someone hits you over the head and you find yourself in a box and when you come out it's to a freezing shitty wasteland where your family is gone and your life is dismal.

WTF happened to my sports-fandom life? This is getting so bad I might have to start watching the Browns again.

 

[EspenK]

The shitty part is even if they wanted to stay, I'm not sure we could fit Fantilli, Z, and Marchenko in the current cap situation.

Not that they all will want to, we just couldn't if we tried I feel like.

I think we can. Fantilli @14, Marchenko @12.5, Z @16,still leaves 13 to extend KJ & V. Wouldn't leave much but it is doable. Not debating or advocating the amounts just saying it can be done imo. Z or KJ might be a casualty but if the big 3 want to be here they can.

 

[Doggy]

What if Marchenko tallies 30+goals and 30+ assists, Fantilli does the same or better, KJ goes 25/25 Voronkov is still breathing normally at the end of the season and has added 20+ goals?
Greaves has 4 s/o's and a sv pct .910 or better. All of this and the Jackets make it to the playoffs and advance at least to the 2nd round? Now it might be a bit far fetched but it could happen and it sure can't happen if we ship Marchenko out now. GMDW has to get Marchenko & Fantilli signed and then adjust as necessary through the season.

Only slightly less likely to happen is Gal Gadot agreeing to go on a date with me. But hey, we can all dream.

 

[EspenK]

I’m afraid that keeping Marchenko isn’t going to impress Werenski enough to stay either. With Marchenko you might have a slightly more competitive team this year but he would still be on the way out and Werenski knows it. It can be argued that the return for Marchenko could be better next year but Werenski or any player on the remaining core wouldn’t know for sure if the player(s) coming back are a good fit and going to help them taking the next step in 2027/28 because they hadn’t played a game together yet.

If instead you trade Marchenko now, at least we get to see concretely how the team can compete without Marchenko. In best case scenario (or one of) we end up with a tighter group that performs above expectations and Werenski decides he wants to extend (although I’m 95% certain he’s a goner as well regardless)

What if Marchenko tallies 30+goals and 30+ assists, Fantilli does the same or better, KJ goes 25/25 Voronkov is still breathing normally at the end of the season and has added 20+ goals?
Greaves has 4 s/o's and a sv pct .910 or better. All of this and the Jackets make it to the playoffs and advance at least to the 2nd round? Now it might be a bit far fetched but it could happen and it sure can't happen if we ship Marchenko out now. GMDW has to get Marchenko & Fantilli signed and then adjust as necessary through the season.

 

[tunnelvision]

This thread has become a complete downer for me. It seems like for every step forward (Greaves signing or Choo Choo trade) it seems we take five steps back.

I feel like I am watching Dark Matter. One moment you are living your best life (sitting in second place with fifteen games to go in the season and pundits calling you the hottest team in the league), you have the wife, the family, the best friend, the job, etc. Walking home from the pub, BAM, someone hits you over the head and you find yourself in a box and when you come out it's to a freezing shitty wasteland where your family is gone and your life is dismal.

WTF happened to my sports-fandom life? This is getting so bad I might have to start watching the Browns again.

Interestingly, last few days have had an opposite effect on me. Weekes’s report from the draft and Waddell announcing that Marchenko starts season in CBJ got me depressed. I was expecting a miserable mediocre-level season where we would have two star players not wanting to play here, possibly hurting the locker room and eating tons of ice time from others. Now I get some excitement from trade rumors, there’s hope a new chapter is about to begin for this team and we don’t have to play a ”dead” year, only waiting for returns for Marchenko and Werenski to get better.

 

[WannabeFinn]

The whole Marchenko situation is comical. The agent is a notorious dirtbag who has attempted to jump aboard the manufactured Werenski drama to try and generate some sort of leverage for his client, who has no real leverage whatsoever. See you in September, Kirill!

 

[CBJW]