The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that they have agreed to terms with restricted free agent forward Kirill Marchenko on a three-year contract extension worth an average annual salary of $3.85 million.
signature: #CBJ The team signed forward Kirill Marchenko to a three-year contract that runs through the 2026-27 NHL season.
He played in 137 games with the Blue Jackets, recording 44 wins, 23 losses and 67 ties. https://t.co/qtJbn2uXz3
— CBJ Public Relations (@BlueJacketsPR) July 28, 2024
Marchenko, 24, will earn $11.55 million in his new contract. The 2018 second-round draft pick recorded a career-high 23 goals and 42 points in 78 games with the Blue Jackets last season. He joined the Blue Jackets from St. Petersburg SKA of the KHL for the 2022-23 season and is in his second season with Columbus.
The Barnaul, Russia native is expected to once again lead the Blue Jackets’ offensive line after finishing third on the team in points. Marchenko was primarily used as a wing last season and is a sure thing for the Blue Jackets to finish in the top six. In 2023-24, he is averaging 16 minutes, 24 seconds of ice time per game, including more than two minutes per game on the power play. Marchenko finished the season with 193 shots on goal, 55 hits and 39 blocked shots. The future is very bright for the Russian forward in Columbus.
Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell commented on Marchenko’s new contract via a team statement, speaking highly of the young forward.
“Kirill Marchenko has been a valuable player for the Blue Jackets during his first two seasons in the NHL and it was important to us to come to an agreement to keep him in Columbus,” Waddell said. “He has the size, skill and goal-scoring ability to continue to be a valuable part of our core team.”
This is the second contract extension in two days for Waddell and the Blue Jackets, who announced Saturday they agreed to terms with forward Kent Johnson on a three-year deal. Johnson and Marchenko will be key pieces of the team’s core going forward, and it was smart business for Waddell to sign both forwards to multiyear deals.
With both Johnson and Marchenko under contract, the Blue Jackets continue into the offseason with only Cole Sillinger uncontracted for next season. At this rate, it may not be long before Waddell signs a new contract. He currently has $10.8 million in cap space remaining.
Columbus finished last in the Eastern Conference last season, averaging just 2.85 points per game and 27th overall.
