Kirill Marchenko was one of the Columbus Blue Jackets' best players throughout the 2023-24 NHL campaign, but despite a standout year from the Russian winger, he remains without a contract heading into next season.
The restricted free agent will be headed for arbitration on July 31 in Toronto if he and the Jackets front office can't nail down a new deal, and Marchenko surprisingly revealed on Tuesday that he still hasn't spoken with the team's new general manager Don Waddell.
“I'm considering both a long-term and a bridge contract, but I prefer the process to move faster,” the 24-year-old told Russian hockey journalist Daria Tuboltseva this week. “I don't know [Waddell] personally, and I'm unsure how he'll fit into the team.”
Marchenko made it clear that he hasn't had the opportunity to speak with Waddell, and admitted he was frustrated with the slow progress of negotiations.
“I haven't received any worthy offers yet, so I can't say for sure. Regarding deadline and money, things are progressing slowly. Maybe next week, there will be a more specific offer from the club.”
Marchenko broke out on a very weak forward core last year, suiting up for 78 regular-season games and setting career-highs in goals (23), assists (19) and points (42). He was part of an effective Russian trio that also featured Yegor Chinakhov and Dmitri Voronkov, although the three were together less than Marchenko would have liked.
“As for the Russian trio, the guys and I were asked to put it together,” Marchenko told Tuboltseva. “We had a chance, and it turned out great, but we still didn't spend as much time together as we would have preferred.”
Kirill Marchenko gets brutally honest on his performance last season
Despite a breakout campaign, Marchenko admitted that he was hoping to be more consistent at both ends of the rink for the Blue Jackets, despite the squad's futility in 2023-24.
“I had mixed feelings about last season because there were some successful periods when I thought I was the best player in the league, but at the same time, there were periods when I couldn't score in 20 games in a row, and there was no consistency,” he explained. “I can't say the season was successful for me, but I also can't call it a failure.”
Certainly interesting comments from the Russian, who is still slated to play on the top line alongside Johnny Gaudreau and free agent acquisition Sean Monahan, according to Daily Faceoff.
Marchenko also opened up about his offseason training routine:
“I have been practicing for a long time. I practice individually in Moscow with a coach who creates an individual plan for me. I started practicing on the ice in June, and today, we will see how well-prepared I am. I had two weeks off and then started going to the gym. Overall, it's a simple training program; for me, it's more like a vacation.”
The Blue Jackets are hoping to take a step forward next season after finishing dead last in the Eastern Conference, and Marchenko certainly should be part of those efforts. It will be intriguing to see if the two sides can get a deal done, or if the Russian will be flying to Toronto for his arbitration hearing at the end of July.
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