Marchenko was a restricted free agent for the team this offseason, and with a salary arbitration scheduled to take place this Wednesday, it does seem that he accepted the Blue Jackets’ offer to sign a three-year deal that will see him slated to come up with more minutes in the coming season and a bigger role at the very least.

At the age of 24, it does seem that Marchenko is slated for bigger heights in his career, considering the fact that he has enjoyed a promising set of seasons prior to the 2023-24 season, which says a lot about how he is expected to be a more composed player heading into the next season. So far, the Blue Jackets are aiming to come up with a much bigger run in the next campaign after having a lot of struggles in their games, which definitely says a lot about his value in the squad.

Marchenko has done well to make himself useful in the previous season, breaking his way into Columbus’ top six, which explains why the Blue Jackets were so keen to sign him right away for an extension. But his true value on the rink will be tested when the season begins, and the Blue Jackets seek to make their claim on the big stage.

Marchenko’s Underrated Production

Marchenko has been quite the scorer on his own so far, coming up with back-to-back 20-goal seasons, and that says a lot about how he has taken his game to the next level. In the 2023-24 season alone, the 24-year-old has amassed 23 goals and 42 points with just an average of 16:25 of ice time through 78 games.

This is expected to see more from Marchenko in coming up with a climb in a production bump to play alongside Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. It cannot be denied that there are a lot of expectations as to how Marchenko could actually expand his horizon in the game and deliver a win for the team at this point.

“Kirill Marchenko has been an important player for the Blue Jackets during his first two NHL seasons and reaching an agreement to keep him in Columbus was important to us.” GM Don Waddell said. “He has size, skill and the ability to score goals and will continue to be a big part of our core group moving forward.”

A Pivotal Franchise Player for the Blue Jackets

Marchenko’s signing gives Columbus the needed flexibility in terms of cap space, and it also allows the forward to earn big money in the coming years should he keep the same pace going in the game. It is easy to say that Marchenko will likely thrive more, especially when he is given a bigger role by new head coach Dean Evason.

In a total of 137 games for Columbus, Marchenko has scored a total of 44 goals and 67 points, even breaking the rookie goal-scoring record and delivering 20 goals in his first two years in the NHL, which says a lot about the expectations set before the forward en route to the campaign.

So far, Marchenko is on a great pace at this point, and it cannot be denied that the Blue Jackets are keeping one of their best rising stars in the game that will eventually help them earn a shot at the Stanley Cup Final.