Kirill Marchenko is one of the Blue Jackets' young core pieces. He was drafted by the team in the second round of the 2018 NHL draft. It took him 4 years before coming to North America.
But since arriving in Columbus, he has steadily improved and proved so valuable to this hockey club. At 25 years old, he is turning into one of the better offensive players in the NHL and a key piece of the Blue Jackets organization.
Marchenko had a solid 2024-25 season, which was the best of his young career. He scored 31 goals and 43 assists for a total of 74 points in 79 games played. He improved his all-around game, as his plus/minus jumped from -5 (2023-24) to +29 (2024-25).
He was an anchor on the top line and played in all offensive situations. He was on the top power play unit and a player who saw regular playing time in overtime. He really showed a lot of confidence in his third season and quickly gained the confidence of head coach Dean Evason.
For the 2025-26 season, Marchenko will again play on the top line, likely with Sean Monahan and Dmitri Voronkov. He will be put in all offensive situations. He will be on the first power play unit and will likely be matched up against opposing teams’ top defensive units.
Marchenko is in year 2 of a 3 year contract that pays him $3.85 million annually. He will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2027. If he continues to be a top line player for the Blue Jackets, I see no reason why he wouldn’t be signed to a long-term contract in 2027. He has stated that he loves playing in Columbus and he still has his best years ahead of him. It makes a lot of sense that he will be a Blue Jacket for a long time.
One bold prediction: Marchenko will score more than 40 goals this year (regular season + playoffs).
kirill Marchenko is one of the Blue Jackets’ best forwards. He is a sniper and is a driven player. He is always looking to improve, which is why I think he takes another step into becoming an elite scorer in the NHL.
Last year, Marchenko hit his career high of 31 goals in the season. I think he can exceed that all the way up to (and beyond) 40 goals. I think this for a few reasons.
First, I think he will improve upon his 2024-25 campaign. Second, I think some other young players will also improve upon their seasons. If they can do that, then I think opposing teams will find difficulty always matching up their best defensive units against Marchenko, which will open more opportunities for him. Third, I think the Blue Jackets are making the playoffs this season. Not sure how far they will go, but I think the team will play beyond 82 games. If that happens, he will have more games in which to get to 40 goals.
Marchenko will be relied upon to be one of the top offensive players for the Blue Jackets. With continued improvement, he has the potential to be one of the better snipers in the NHL not only this season but going forward.