Take out marchenko. Why would we Move a great going (edit: young not going) forward AND move down. Makes no sense.

Would Columbus take Demidov or a defenseman? You think a young defenseman and 2 first to move up one spot is reasonable??

No, but if you think adding marchenko to get a late first and a young depth defender is fair then you are incorrect. The offer is for 4 not for marchenko take him out and offer a package for the pick alone.

I like the 3 young russians in columbus. What do you guys think them? I would run with them myself, mind you Winnipeg went through their Russian faze and that did not work out so well but the Columbus trio seem exciting for the future

I think Columbus takes their BPA and doesn’t worry about need or position, and keeping fourth means they can do so. The prospect pool is strong. There is no glaring need. They have no issues getting Russians over and there will almost certainly be at least four on the roster next season if not five and a half. If Demidov is there at four, Columbus just takes him and loses no sleep over lost assets at the end of the round. They certainly do not consider including Marchenko for the privilege of an AHL defense prospect and a late pick that should be the cost of moving up, period.

i think Harris may be under rated, even by Montreal fans. With that said, I am sure he will have a long career and even grab many draft picks at trade deadline over the next decade, but he is probably "just a guy", what I am curious about is what fans think of Columbus russians...I like them all and wonder what each of the 3 are valued at from people that get to watch them often.

I think chinakhov is the only one that would be available if I had to guess. If he’s being traded it’s in a package for a top 6 forward

We adore them, Marchenko most of all. One of the game day giveaways near the end of the year was a set of Russian nesting dolls, featuring him, Voronkov, Chinakhov, and Provorov. I have a set, in fact. Marchenko became a fan favorite extremely quickly his first year. Chinakhov was starting to break out this year, looking fantastic on Gaudreau’s opposite wing even, when he got hurt. Voronkov is harder to read because he’s huge and has such soft hands but isn’t very physical, and there were rumors out of his KHL club last season that he was homesick here. The three together formed such an exciting line that Pascal Vincent was compelled to explain in media why he chose broke it up, and doing it was still one of the most common points of contention for fans against PV even in game 82. Of course a new GM may come in and decide to get rid of all of them, but as of right now with JD still in charge, they’re probably all safe to assume are on the roster next year.

(and sure, nothing against Harris, he’s just not valuable at all to Columbus, where he would definitely be in Cleveland)

They all bring something different, which is fun.

Marchenko: goal scoring and overall offensive talent
Chinakhov: blistering speed and a teriffic shot, and pretty defensively responsible
Voronkov: goal-scoring touch in a body that gives opponents nightmares, he's almost a unicorn

I couldn't see any of them being moved, at least not without an overpay (like a 1st in the top-half of the round). They're all under 24, and were some of the few bright spots last season.

Also,
Tarasov: looks like he may be a starter in the future
Provorov: sneaky good at most things, but not exceptional at anything. Good 2nd-pair D-man, but I don't want him on my team with Mateychuk coming up.

As for the trade, Harris isn't of interest to Columbus. I'm sure he's fine, but we have Werenski, Provorov, Mateychuk, Bean (for now), and likely Svozil on the left ahead of him. Jiricek, Boqvist, Severson, and Gudbranson are all ahead of him on the right.

Provorov is very under-rated

Wonder if Columbus take Demidov or a defenseman, both teams seem to appreciate Russian players so that is why I wondered what it would take for Montreal to get Demidov if he is available at 4. Take away Russian connections, what would Columbus ask to switch if they truly decide that the d-man available is the best option for the team long term?

Agreed, but he’s not part of the long term plans. The reason they traded for him was to stabilize the D on a devastated wasteland of a blueline for two years til Mateychuk was ready, and he had two years left.

All this to say: if Montreal is set on Demidov, the Ducks or Hawks are probably better targets to trade up.

Like @squashmaple said, if Montreal is set on Demidov I'd target the Chicago or Anaheim picks. He's almost certainly the 2nd best player available.

The only scenario I could see Columbus deciding the best D-man available is the best option with Demidov still available at 4 is if it's Silayev or Levshunov, both of whom are seriously good options. But that means that Chicago or Anaheim both passed on one of those two and Demidov...which just seems impossible.

I think it's more likely Columbus has their eyes set on Lindstrom, and views the top-4 as Celebrini, Levshunov, Silayev, and Demidov, which means they can grab Lindstrom at 5. If Demidov is still available and that's the clear pick though, I think we're talking 5OA, the WPG 1st, and potentially more just to move up one spot.

I just don't see a scenario where one of Silayev, Levshunov, Demidov, or Lindstrom are available at 4OA and Columbus doesn't just...make the pick. We need BPA.

Trading up one spot doesn't happen. Either the Jackets are intent on taking the player Montreal wants and will refuse to trade with them, or they don't want the same player Montreal does and there's no reason for Montreal to trade up. If you trade up you're doing it to move up 2 or more spots minimum\ because you're convinced someone just ahead of you wants the same guy.

As for the Russians, I'll quote Marchenko himself "I am happy Russian boy, Yegor is cute Russian boy, and Dmitri is tough Russian boy". I'd love to see them stapled together as a line and any coach that even suggests breaking them up in the future be fired out of the cannon into Pittsburgh.