The Blue Jackets have a few contract questions looming, and the conversation around them is starting to sharpen.
Kirill Marchenko appears set to stay in Columbus for now, but that only kicks the bigger decision down the road. Elliotte Friedman noted that Marchenko is entering the final year of his deal and will need a major new contract after next season. With a 30-goal season on his résumé, that next number is going to matter.
“Yeah. And you know, Marchenko is, you talked about Don Waddell said he’ll be back next year.
That’ll be an interesting one, because he’s a 30-goal guy and he’ll need another contract after next year. That’s going to be a big number.
Like, people out there have a lot of respect for Marchenko’s game.
And you know the (Adam) Fantilli; we talked about the offer sheets. Fantilli, how does Columbus feel? Are they nervous about it?
And I’ll tell you the other one that’s really interesting is Cole Sillinger declared for arbitration on Sunday. Columbus really thinks that Sillinger is a big part of their team.
They think he’s really important in their room. Like, the Canucks really liked him and tried to get him for a while, but they were like almost like no, like we like this guy.
So it’ll be interesting to see what number he comes up with, because they, they really value him.
(Jet) Greaves too. Greaves too. Another, two big arb cases.”
That’s where the tension sits for Columbus: Marchenko’s next payday, the possibility of an Adam Fantilli offer sheet, and the club’s clear attachment to Cole Sillinger. Friedman said the Blue Jackets highly value Sillinger, both for what he brings on the ice and in the room, and that they were unwilling to move him to the Vancouver Canucks, who had pursued him for a while.
Bukauskas pointed to the bigger picture around the roster decisions, saying the club seems to be moving toward a point where meaningful change has to happen if it wants to get back into the playoff mix.
“Between the Nichushkin deal and who they kept around. Sounds like (Kirill) Marchenko’s staying in Columbus for the time being, too.
Elliotte, listening to (Blue Jackets GM Don) Waddell the other day. It’s almost like time’s ticking for things to change here in a meaningful way, to get back to being a playoff team in Columbus.
Because we all kind of have a good sense of what’s at stake now.”
Sillinger’s arbitration filing on Sunday adds another layer to the Blue Jackets’ offseason. Friedman also mentioned Jet Greaves as another arbitration case, giving Columbus two more important numbers to sort out.
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