Blue Jackets [http://thn.com/columbus] forward Kirill Marchenko is fun to talk to and fun to watch. Many people accuse pro athletes of being boring, but you can't say that about Marchenko. One could say Marchenko had a down year, and that would be a fair assessment considering the year he had in 2024-25, when he absolutely took off. Everyone expected him to shoot for 50 goals and over 80 points. After all, he is turning into one heck of a two-way forward, but that wasn't the case this past season. Let's take a look at how the young budding superstar did in 76 games this season. Goals - 27 - Down from 31 in 24-25 - He finished the 2025-26 season leading the team in goals for the third-straight season (tied in 2024-25), while also ranking second in points as well as third in assists. He is only the second player in franchise history to score 20-plus goals in their first four seasons with the club (R.J. Umberger). He had 6 power play goals, up from 2 the previous year. Assists - 40 - Down from 43 in 24-25 - He had 17 power play assists. Points - 67 - Down from 74 in 24-25 - He collected 60 or more points for the second consecutive season, becoming the eighth player in franchise history to do so joining Rick Nash (4-straight from 2007-11), Ray Whitney (2001-03), David Vyborny (2005-07), Ryan Johansen (2013-15), Artemi Panarin (201719), Johnny Gaudreau (2022-24) and Zach Werenski (2024-26). Shots - 218 - Up from 207 in 24-25 - His shots have gone up every year he's been in the league. Time On Ice - 18:57 - He set a career high for ice time, and his ice time has gone up every year. Shooting % - 12.4% - Down from 15% the previous year. Game Winning Goals - 7 - Up from 2 the previous year. Plus/Minus - Plus 7 - Down from plus-29 in 24-25. Hits - 61 - Up from 55 If you want to dig in a little deeper, his Corsi and Fenwick hit career highs, with both over 58%. Those two metrics were both at around 57% last season. Kirill Marchenko didn't have a bad season, but he did have a "let-down" season. Marchenko is going into the final year of a three-year deal he signed in July of 2024, and if he wants a significant raise, he's going to need to crank it up a notch next season. 40 goals and 40 assists shouldn't be an issue for him, as he is becoming a very good playmaker. Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft Lottery on May 5, 2025, where the CBJ will most likely pick 14 or 15. 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 [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwm-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] 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 [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
