Kirill Marchenko took the step we hoped to see as Columbus Blue Jackets fans this season. Marchenko may have only slightly exceeded his goal output from a year ago (23 this year vs 21 last year), but he far exceeded his assist total, particularly at 5v5 (3 5v5 assists in 22-23 vs 15 in 23-24). Marchenko did this despite a reduction in shooting percentage and a marginal increase in ice time (up 14 seconds year over year). He showed real promise with linemates Dmitry Voronkov and Yegor Chinakhov while leading the team in power play goals with nine (by my count, his 9 power play goals are t-43 in the league, one fewer on the year than Kyle Palmieri and Nick Schmaltz).
2023-24 Player Review: Kirill Marchenko is an NHL playmaker with room to grow
