Don Waddell makes an offseason promise regarding Kirill Marchenko

That quote is already being treated as reassurance.

It shouldn't be.

Marchenko is signed through the 2026-27 season at a $3.85 million cap hit. Barring a trade, he has to report to Columbus in September no matter what Waddell says publicly.

That is not a promise. That is a description of a contract that already exists.

The real question was never whether Marchenko shows up to camp. It was whether Columbus and his camp can agree on a long-term extension before he hits restricted free agency next summer, with arbitration rights attached.

Waddell's actual answer to that question has been far more guarded than his quote about September.

He has said calls have come in, that none have matched what Marchenko means to the roster, and that he has not made any calls himself on the winger.

Montreal and other teams have already called about Marchenko this month, according to Pierre LeBrun.

Waddell has told rival executives he has no intention of trading him this summer, which only sharpens the actual timeline he faces.

Marchenko is coming off a 27-goal, 67-point season in 76 games, a step back from his 74-point breakout the year before.

His camp has already floated Pavel Dorofeyev's seven-year, $11 million deal with the Rangers as a comparable ask.

That gap between $3.85 million and $11 million is the actual negotiation, and it has nothing to do with whether he plays in Columbus this fall.

Rick Bowness returning for 2026-27 after a 21-11-5 finish gives Columbus a coach Marchenko already trusts.

That relationship, not one line to reporters, matters more for an extension than anything said this week.

Waddell bought himself a calm headline. He still has not bought Marchenko's signature.

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