Kirill Marchenko sparks fresh questions about his future with the Blue Jackets after he goes missing

Kirill Marchenko was nowhere to be found at the Blue Jackets annual golf outing on Monday, and given the summer he just had, it is hard not to read into it.

The winger remains under contract in Columbus, but his name has been tied to trade speculation for months, and skipping the team's charity event only added to the chatter among fans and reporters who were watching the guest list closely.

Marchenko was not the only one missing from the CBJ Foundation Golf Classic.

Adam Fantilli, who remains unsigned heading into camp, also stayed away, which makes sense given his contract situation still needs to get sorted out.

Dmitri Voronkov rounded out the list of no shows, and since both he and Marchenko are still believed to be training overseas, some fans are pointing out the timing of the tournament itself may simply be too early for players who have not yet made the trip back to North America.

Still, the optics are hard to ignore.

Marchenko has been floated in trade rumors connected to several teams, including Montreal, and reports throughout the summer suggested he may not be eager to sign a long term extension with Columbus.

None of that has been confirmed by the team or the player himself, but the absence from a low stakes team event is exactly the kind of detail that gets picked apart when a player's future is already in question.

Training camps are about to open across the league, and Columbus will need clarity on both Fantilli's contract and Marchenko's long term plans sooner rather than later.

Whether Monday's absence turns out to mean anything at all will likely become clearer once camp starts and everyone is expected to be in the building.

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