Kirill Marchenko has taken a major step forward every season since joining the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2022-23 season. Now, he seems on the verge of becoming a household name around the NHL.
Goal Scorer Right Out of the Gate
Marchenko’s rookie season highlighted his goal scoring ability right out of the gate, as he scored 21 goals in 59 games. The following season, that number grew to 23 in 78 games, but importantly, his assists grew from four to 19.
Finally, during the 2024-25 season, Marchenko scored 31 goals, eclipsing the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. He also recorded a near point-per-game pace for the first time at the NHL level, as he had 74 points through 79 games. That campaign showed that Marchenko was on the verge of stardom after just three seasons in the NHL, and his start to the 2025-26 season has only proven that point even further.
Marchenko’s Hot Start
This season, Marchenko seems like a man on a mission. He’s taken his play to a level we’ve never seen from him before, and despite the small sample size, he shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
In five games, Marchenko has scored five goals, three of which came when he scored a hat trick on the road against the Minnesota Wild. The only game he has failed to record a point in this season so far was the Blue Jackets’ season opener against the Nashville Predators. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying, though, as he registered eight shots on goal in the losing effort.
The Colorado Avalanche were able to hold Marchenko without a shot, yet he still registered the lone assist on Ivan Provorov’s goal. That also remains Marchenko’s only assist so far in the 2025-26 season.
It goes without saying that Marchenko leads the Blue Jackets in both goals and points; however, that’s not where the impressive display ends. He’s currently tied for sixth in the NHL in goals, alongside names such as Jack Eichel, Dylan Larkin, and Cole Caufield, all of whom are highly regarded stars.
Of course, it’s safe to say that Marchenko will cool off at some point, as it would be quite astonishing if he maintained a goal-per-game pace, which hasn’t been accomplished across a full season since Brett Hull during the 1990-91 season. With that being said, there is the possibility that he achieves more than anyone expected from him heading into the 2025-26 season.
For the first time in his career, the 40-goal plateau seems achievable for Marchenko, even if his pace slows tremendously for a while. 50 goals would be much less likely, considering Leon Draisaitl led the league with 52 last season, but not impossible, as four players reached that threshold during the 2023-24 season.
Related: Columbus Blue Jackets Finding Success in the Blue Paint
Marchenko has already set a franchise record by scoring five goals in five games to start the season, as the previous record was four set by four different players throughout the organization’s history. As a result, it seems entirely possible that Marchenko could be gunning for another record by the time spring comes around.
Currently, Rick Nash and Cam Atkinson hold the joint record for most goals in a season in Blue Jackets history with 41. Marchenko has already established himself on the all-time leaderboard, as his 31 goals entered him into a five-way tie for tenth all-time. If he’s able to maintain a hot hand, it’s reasonable to predict that he’ll take the top spot in six months time.
Regardless of what happens moving forward, Marchenko has shown that he’s capable of big things in the NHL, and his hot start this season is only solidifying that fact. Now, we just have to wait and see how high his ceiling truly is, but it seems like he’s on the verge of becoming a star on a league-wide level.
