Kirill Marchenko’s silence has become its own storyline in Columbus, and it’s the kind that keeps hanging around because nobody inside the situation seems eager to explain it.
Kevin Weekes set the whole thing off when he said Marchenko would not be extending in Columbus, a revelation that caught even Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell by surprise. The timing only made it messier, landing right as the Zach Werenski situation was already stirring things up. At first, plenty of people assumed Marchenko’s uncertainty was tied to Werenski’s apparent non-committal stance.
But unlike Werenski, Marchenko has never stepped forward to calm things down. His agent, Dan Milstein, has also stayed away from real answers, choosing instead to stir the pot.
That kind of trolling has become part of the deal, but it’s a lot less amusing when an entire fanbase is waiting for clarity. Montreal fans, of course, seem to be enjoying every second of it.
Waddell, for his part, has made his position pretty clear. He’s said Marchenko will be in uniform and on the ice for camp and this season.
He’s also stressed that he won’t move him just for the sake of moving him, and that if Marchenko is dealt, Columbus needs to come out of it better. The message is simple: if you want a scorer like Marchenko, it’s going to cost you.
Still, the noise around him has been swallowed up by the Werenski drama and, more recently, the Adam Fantilli contract stall. That’s left Marchenko in a strange spot - heavily discussed, but not really explained.
And that’s the question hanging over all of it: why has he and his camp stayed so quiet, and why does he seem to be getting a different kind of treatment? Is it because he’s the fun-loving goofball? Is the fan-favorite angle softening the reaction?
At some point, someone from his camp is going to have to answer for it. Waddell is clearly talking with Milstein, so this isn’t a mystery with no conversations behind it. But until someone says something directly, the speculation is going to keep rolling.
National media are already calling a trade imminent, but that’s still just noise unless it becomes real. And while the optics may make it look like Marchenko is getting a free pass, the situation is still unresolved.
Werenski faced boos and jersey talk before eventually saying he was committed to the Blue Jackets. Marchenko hasn’t said anything at all.
That silence is why the conversation keeps growing. So the question remains: is Marchenko really getting a free pass?
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