What's up with Kirill Marchenko?
A few days ago, some national beat writers started throwing out nuggets about Marchenko and that the Blue Jackets might be taking calls on the young Russian forward. Well, I guess when there's smoke, there's fire, as they say.
Local media and fans thought all the talk was just the national media attacking the CBJ and kicking while they were down.
But when ESPN's Kevin Weekes decided to steal Oscar Hemming's spotlight last night, suddenly, Columbus fans knew it was real. Funny enough, it's not the first time ESPN and Weekes have embarrassed the Blue Jackets on live TV. Remember the 2023 Draft Lottery?
Weekes, just seconds prior to Hemming being picked, announced on Live TV that Marchenko's camp told him he had decided he was not going to stay in Columbus long-term. According to GM Don Waddell, the announcement was news to him, as neither Marchenko nor his agent told him anything about wanting out.
John Buccigross, who was hosting the show, was shocked, as he has been advocating for the Jackets to pay him upwards of $11 million per season.
So why does Marchenko want out? What could have possibly happened to him that would make him feel this way?
After four straight 20-goal seasons and leading the team in goals the last few years, why is he doing this?
Marchenko scored only 8 goals after the Olympic break in 26 games. He did have 21 points in those 26 games, so he didn't completely disappear.
Is it possible he and Rick Bowness don't get along? I can't see Marchenko not getting along with anyone, but it's possible. Could he be mad about Bowness calling out the players at the end of the season? He didn't even hear about Bowness's rant until the next day, according to him.
Could he be angry at the way Dmitri Voronkov was handled? Very possible. But is that reason enough to turn your back on the team that you work for?
Maybe it's the Yegor Chinakhov situation? Chinakhov had issues with former coach Dean Evason, which led to Chinakhov being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins just prior to Rick Bowness being hired.
Something seems very off about this situation.
THN Columbus has reached out to Marchenko's agent for comment, but has yet to hear anything.
For everyone's sake, I hope GM Don Waddell and Marchenko's agent can sit down and hammer this out. This situation is different from the Zach Werenski situation, clearly.
Next Up For Columbus: The second through seventh rounds of the NHL Draft are on June 27 in Buffalo.
Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!
Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.
Let us know what you think below.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
