The Montreal Canadiens were suspiciously quiet on Day 1 of NHL Free Agency as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Edmonton Oilers all made significant moves to beef up their rosters. The one move they did make, however, was pretty significant by itself.
Canadiens GM Kent Hughes hammered out a deal with Ivan Demidov’s representatives, handing out an eight-year, $73 million deal that comes in at an average annual value of $9.125 million. While the deal was greeted by a wave of enthusiasm from Habs fans, the question they were asking was what happened to the pursuit of Columbus Blue Jackets star Kirill Marchenko?
Kirill Marchenko’s Agent Laughs at Canadiens Fan’s Absurd Proposal
After Demidov (and Marchenko’s) agent Dan Milstein announced the Canadiens star’s $73 million extension, one fan jumped into the NHL super-agent’s mentions with a plea.
“If you bring Marchenko to MTL, I’ll shave my head. No joke. Just do it, Dan,” he wrote.
Milstein’s reply came quickly: “Haha, no need brother 😂 Your GM already shaved his head and you don’t have to do that! Appreciate the passion though.”
Haha no need brother 😂 Your GM already shaved his head and you don’t have to do that! Appreciate the passion though 🔥 #WeAreGoldStar! https://t.co/pKpDE6n4c2
— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) July 2, 2026
Demidov’s contract rightly stole the spotlight as Montreal GM Kent Hughes kept his powder dry on the first day of free agency. That said, there were no moves that Canadiens fans looked at as a surefire upgrade to a team that battled hard in the playoffs this year.
While Team USA gold medal-winning center Vincent Trocheck would have been an elite addition to the lineup as a 2C behind Nick Suzuki, Trocheck’s no-movement clause would have made it difficult to pull off a trade if he didn’t wish to make the move. Trocheck was eventually dealt to the Utah Mammoth.
Attention now turns to Marchenko and whether Hughes can pull off a move.
Utah, Seattle, and Philadelphia have all been credited with an interest in prising Marchenko away from Columbus. A deal won’t come cheap, though. For Montreal, any move would need to involve the “Alexander Zharovsky(s), the Michael Hage(s), the Kaiden Guhle(s),” Canadiens insider Marco D’Amico reported.
That said, Marchenko’s stance of asking out was likely based on Zach Werenski asking out. Now that Werenski has mended fences with the franchise, could we see Marchenko also perform a U-turn?
That remains to be seen, but Montreal certainly has the assets to go after Marchenko, should they decide he’s the clear upgrade they need to battle it out with the Carolina Hurricanes of the world.
