On July 28, 2024, the Columbus Blue Jackets extended 24-year-old winger Kirill Marchenko to a three-year deal worth $3.85 million each season. He will be a restricted free agent (RFA) when the contract expires following the 2026-27 season.
Marchenko’s Play & Why His Contract Is Deserved
Marchenko, coming off of his sophomore campaign in the NHL, has progressed nicely. He was a standout prospect in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and has brought that production over to North America. In 2023-24, he had 23 goals and 19 assists for 42 points spread across 78 contests. His two-way play was solid, so the payday makes sense.
Increasing his production from 25 points in 59 games the season before, Marchenko could be eyeing a breakout campaign in 2024-25. That might have to come with an increase in ice time, seeing as he sat in the low 16-minute range on a per-game basis in both 2022-23 and last season. Regardless, as a second-line forward, Marchenko is one of the better players at that position in the NHL. With room to grow, this deal could be a steal but might come with a big extension if it pans out well.
Fit with Columbus
As mentioned before, Marchenko is likely to remain in the top six with around 16 minutes of ice time but could move up the lineup and get some quality minutes in 2024-25. If he were on the top line, he could play more with someone like Johnny Gaudreau. Even though the latter had a down season to his standards, the two had a plus-7 rating when on the ice together at 5-on-5 (in 168:27 of ice time). Perhaps that duo could play some more—only time will tell, though.
As of now, Columbus’ depth in the right wing is decent but could certainly be better. Dmitri Voronkov and Yegor Chinakhov are both good young players, but their youth makes it so Marchenko could be relied on by new head coach Dean Evason.
