Blue Jackets Draft Night Overshadowed by Marchenko’s Request

It was supposed to be a night that Oscar Hemming would never forget. The Columbus Blue Jackets helped him realize his lifelong dream of making the NHL on Friday night when they took him with the 14th overall pick.

You could tell the excitement on Hemming’s face when commissioner Gary Bettman announced his name. It was supposed to be a night of celebrating the next prospect while the Blue Jackets continue to prepare for the 2026-27 season.

However, all that came crashing down in a heap when a report surfaced during the draft broadcast on ESPN. As first reported by ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, Kirill Marchenko through his agent has told the Blue Jackets he doesn’t intend to sign an extension. He would have been eligible to sign on July 1.

First it was Zach Werenski reportedly telling the Blue Jackets he wouldn’t extend after his last two years are up. Now it’s Marchenko.

The Blue Jackets’ two best players aren’t interested in staying with the team that drafted them once their contracts are up. This news overshadowed anything positive for the Blue Jackets from Friday night with all due respect to Hemming.

Now the all-important question becomes what happens now?

Worst Possible News

Let’s try to reset this situation. First it’s important to note that neither Werenski nor Marchenko have spoken on the record since all this came out. Neither as far as we know have requested a trade right now. That could change depending on how upcoming meetings go. But for now, these are players expressing to their team their desire to not extend when the time comes.

GM Don Waddell previously spoke about Werenski. There is a meeting upcoming “in the near future” to address that situation.

As for Marchenko, Waddell at first didn’t want to comment much on the situation as he said the request was “news to him.” But later in his Friday night availability, he opened up a little bit more. He got a phone call from Marchenko’s agent that was assumed to be good news.

“I thought it was a different kind of phone call,” Waddell said. “But, obviously, we all found out later that it wasn’t.”

The one thing that has happened in this situation is that these requests have come out more in the open. Waddell admitted not seeing these come out to the public as much as now.

“I’ve had players ask to be moved, but they keep it private and it doesn’t become public. I’m not sure it’s in everybody’s best interest to make all this stuff public, but that’s why you guys have your jobs, to ask me questions. I try to give you the best answers I can.”

As of now, there is still a chance that both Werenski and Marchenko are Blue Jackets in the fall. But the team will have to decide a couple of things. Would a trade be better now to maximize a possible return? Do they want to deal with the distraction of everything knowing that something would happen eventually?

Waddell left open the possibility of both still remaining Blue Jackets.

“They signed the contract,” Waddell said. “So if we feel like that’s in the best interest of the Columbus Blue Jackets where you play out your contract, yeah (we’d keep them.)”

Waddell went on to say that he is taking calls and listening but doesn’t have to act on it right away. He didn’t deny any of the reporting out there.

What happens next will be guided by the meetings in the coming days and weeks. But the fact that the Blue Jackets two best players won’t extend should send shivers down the spines of everyone on the team straight to the top.

Final Thoughts

While it is common to have players not extend after a contract or ask for a trade, it’s not common that a team’s two best players express that desire around the same time. Not only did it cast a dark shadow over the team, it cast a dark shadow on what the immediate and longer term future look like.

It’s just the latest example of a complete gut punch Blue Jackets’ fans have had to deal with in a quarter century of hockey since their inception.

To many fans, it feels like the end of the world. Potentially losing a Norris Trophy winner and a potential future 40-goal scorer feels like there’s no recovery in sight.

What will matter is how Waddell and the Blue Jackets choose to navigate this situation. Werenski and Marchenko would each fetch an enormous return especially if a trade happens sooner rather than later. If the team avoids a trade now scenario, they could elect to try to make 2026-27 all in knowing the two players are still under contract.

What we still don’t know is exactly why the desire to now want to extend has been expressed. One could theorize that the chance to win is a part of it. But until we hear from the players directly, it’s speculation.

Werenski chose Columbus once. They haven’t made the playoffs during his current six-year deal. Marchenko hasn’t tasted the playoffs in his NHL career.

The bottom line is this. Whatever the approach is, it’s not working. The Blue Jackets must look at themselves and determine what the root cause of all this is. Then they must take steps to rectify it.

No hyperbole. Friday night was one of the worst days in franchise history. It was meant to be a celebration of welcoming Hemming to the team. Instead, all anyone can think about is potentially losing their two best players including the best in franchise history in Werenski.

That’s a tough thing to recover from. But it’s not impossible, if the team is willing to look at itself in the mirror and come to grips with where they’re at as a franchise.