The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed forward Kirill Marchenko to a three-year deal worth a reported $11.55MM (as per team website). The new deal will give the 24-year-old a $3.85MM AAV over the contract’s lifetime and set him up for a nice payday if he blossoms into the player he believes he can become. The former second-round pick in 2018 was set to go to Arbitration later this week on July 31st but will no longer have to travel to Toronto after coming to an agreement.
In his first two NHL seasons, Marchenko has posted 44 goals and 23 assists in 137 games and cemented himself as part of the Blue Jackets young core going forward. His back-to-back 20+ goal seasons put him in rare company in Blue Jackets franchise history as Marchenko became just the second Columbus player ever to record two 20-goal seasons to begin their NHL career.
Marchenko’s rise to regular NHLer happened rather quickly after he started the 2022-23 season in the American Hockey League with the Blue Jackets affiliate the Cleveland Monsters. He tallied 19 points in 16 games and followed it up making his NHL debut in early December 2022. After his call-up, Marchenko went on a tear, setting a Blue Jackets record for most goals by a rookie with 21 in just 59 games.
This past year was a difficult season for the Blue Jackets, but Marchenko established himself by setting career highs in goals with 23 and assists with 19 while dressing in 78 games.
With a three-year deal in his back pocket, Marchenko and the Blue Jackets can turn their focus to next season and take the next steps in their progression. Marchenko has the skill and size to become an NHL power forward, but he will need to show he can produce better results against tougher competition if he wants to become a perennial 30-goal scorer in the NHL.