Don Waddell Gives His Thoughts On Kirill Marchenko

Don Waddell Gives His Thoughts On Kirill Marchenko

Waddell was asked to give an update on the contract negotiations surrounding dynamic forward Kirill Marchenko, and whether or not he thought he was worthy of a long-term deal. 

Waddell responded with, "The long-term deal would be there if we could. The problem with a long-term deal is what's the upside if he was taking a deal that we were comfortable with? But we all think there's upside here. But we don't know what the ceiling is, so it's a catch-22 for both of us, Dan Milstein and I who've talked. You better be careful because one of us could be burned pretty badly, or we both could be happy with it. So I think as we sit here today, I think a short-term, shorter-term deal, probably a two-year deal makes the most sense. Because if he becomes the player that he feels he can, then he'll get rewarded, and he'll get paid. I think that's the best way to look at it. I don't have any problem rewarding players that have proven it and do it."

He was also asked if he felt confident that they could avoid arbitration. Waddell says, "The player filed for arbitration for a reason because sooner or later somebody's going to make a decision whether you go or not. We're still talking on a daily basis. The goal I think for both of us is to try to get a deal done prior to arbitration. The only benefit of arbitration is you know you're going to end up with a contract, and somebody's going to probably be happy, and somebody's probably not going to be happy with it. So if we can come to a common ground before that, I think that makes the most sense. We still have a week or so to figure that out."

You can listen to the full interview below.

Kirill Marchenko and his contract is a hot topic among people who follow the Jackets. 

Marchenko set the rookie record for goals scored with 21 during the 2022-23 season and followed it up with 23 last season. 

Many consider him to be a huge piece of this franchise going forward, but Waddell is saying he will need to "prove it" before any long-term deal gets done.

This is sure to get the fanbase fired up. 

What do you think of Waddell's comments and are you concerned about Marchenko's future in Columbus? Please share your thoughts on our forum.