Kirill Marchenko dodges questions about future with Columbus Blue Jackets

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?

"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…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/