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COLUMBUS — Kirill Marchenko was a fun and talented teammate who lit up the scoreboard for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but many of his former teammates said that his wish to be elsewhere had become a distraction they’re happy to be rid of with Monday’s trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“You could sort of tell that (Marchenko) didn’t really want to be here and we didn’t need that just hanging around at the beginning of the year,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said Tuesday. “I wish him the best. Glad it’s over and done with before the season at least.” (NHL, 2026)
Marchenko (26) was traded to the Leafs in a six-player deal, with forward Matthew Knies (23) the main player going the other way to Columbus.
In June agent Dan Milstein said Marchenko would not re-sign with Columbus. Had he stayed a restricted free agent this offseason, Marchenko could have received a qualifying offer from the Blue Jackets.
On September 18, Marchenko declined to say whether he was going to stay with the Blue Jackets when asked by media.
Columbus general manager Don Waddell said Marchenko didn’t provide a reason for requesting a trade. Mathieu Olivier, a forward, said that following Marchenko’s news conference, he held a conversation with his teammate and provided an explanation, but Olivier was not willing to do so to reporters Tuesday. (NHL, 2026)
“We’re taking a new direction and we want guys who want to be here so we’re excited – really excited – for the start of the season,” Olivier said.
Rick Bowness, Blue Jackets coach: “I think we all felt the same way to see the thing come to a close.” Marchenko, 24, has 208 points (102 goals, 106 assists) in 292 NHL games, all with Columbus.
“You want every player to be here and want to be a part of the solution. That’s across every team,” Bowness said. “So, if you don’t want to be here, and then obviously you’ve got one foot out the door so you can’t get that 100 per cent commitment and I get it. He wanted to move on.”
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