Anybody hoping Kirill Marchenko might provide clarity about his desire to play for the Blue Jackets beyond this season should temper those hopes.
In fact, go ahead and shelve them for the foreseeable future. The Jackets' top goal scorer isn't interested in explaining why either agent Dan Milstein or somebody who works for Milstein told ESPN studio analyst Kevin Weekes on June 26 during the NHL draft that Marchenko isn't interested in signing a long-term extension with Columbus.
Marchenko, 26, met with reporters after practice Sept. 18 at Nationwide Arena.
Facing a line of questions requesting insight on why Marchenko appears to want a change of scenery, the jovial Russian forward rolled out a song-and-dance routine the likes of which hadn't been
seen around the building since Artemi Panarin launched into a similar one with the help of a translator provided by Milstein in 2018-19.
"I forget all English ... in Russia," Marchenko said, smiling. "I know only words about hockey right now. Let's go."
OK, so where you do want to play hockey?
Kirill Marchenko was asked if he wants to play hockey in Columbus.
— Mark Scheig (@mark_scheig) September 18, 2026
“I want to play hockey. It’s all I can say right now.”
Video below. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/XRiO6Adv1e
"Whoa ... on the ice," Marchenko said. "On the ice, where I can play. On the ice. Puck, not ball. Puck hockey. Ice hockey, and, we'll see."
Asked about the ESPN report at the draft, Marchenko tried to play coy.
"Really?" he said. "I didn't see that."
The smile he flashed a second later begged to differ.
"No, guys, it's ... I don't know, my goal, I told you, I play hockey," Marchenko said. "I can talk only about hockey. It's not my side. Business side, it's on [Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell] and Dan [Milstein], and they figure out everything. My goal [is] to be ready, on the ice."
After agreeing that ultimately he makes the call about where he'll play, Marchenko again deflected a direct question about whether he wants to play in Columbus.
"It's too many good questions right now," he said. "I want to play hockey. That's what I can say right now, and I don't want to give you guys a lot of things. I just love [my] teammates, I love to enjoy the practices and enjoy the hockey. It's my favorite thing in the world, and I just do my job."
Dispatch Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kirill Marchenko dodges questions about future with Columbus Blue Jackets
