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Why does Yegor Chinakhov want to be traded and what can the Columbus Blue Jackets get?
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- Why does Yegor Chinakhov want to be traded and what can the Columbus Blue Jackets get?
It's been almost five years since Jarmo Kekalainen stared into a television camera and said the Blue Jackets were drafting Yegor Chinakhov 21stoverall.
Kekalainen's face bore a slight smirk, likely knowing that his pick caused most draft analysts to scramble looking for scouting information on a Russian winger who had been passed over in his first eligible draft year and was already playing his rookie season in the Kontinental Hockey League.
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More: Columbus Blue Jackets' Yegor Chinakhov requests trade, cites 'misunderstandings'
The pick looked genius a year later after Chinakhov helped Avangard Omsk win the KHL championship , was named the league's top rookie and started his NHL career earlier than expected. He came to Columbus in 2021 without knowing English, made a friend in fellow rookie Cole Sillinger , assimilated to life in North America and showed flashes of brilliance between multiple bouts with injuries.
Unable to stay healthy and struggling to perform with consistency, Chinakhov remains unpolished and filled with high-end potential heading into his fifth NHL season.
Blue Jackets right wing Yegor Chinakhov (59) fights for the puck with Devils defenseman Luke Hughes on March 17.
He'd also like a fresh start elsewhere.
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According to his comments during a recent interview with a Russian reporter, followed by an X post by his agent, Shumi Babaev, Chinakhov wants to be traded. It's nothing new to Blue Jackets fans who have seen this before with Rick Nash , Pierre-Luc Dubois , Patrik Laine and others, but Chinakhov's request is different in one key aspect.
Despite logging 175 career NHL games, he's still largely undefined as a player. He's young enough at 24 to carry high-end potential, but also carries enough baggage to make him a risky acquisition.
Here's a look at how things went sideways for Chinakhov in Columbus and what to expect from the Blue Jackets now that his wish to be traded is public:
Blue Jackets right wing Yegor Chinakhov (59) hits Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola on March 20.
How did Yegor Chinakhov get to this point with the Columbus Blue Jackets ?
After venturing to Columbus in September 2021, Chinakhov burst onto the scene with the Blue Jackets' rookie team that won the annual prospects tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. Showing a fast connection with Sillinger, the two combined for a bunch of goals in those four games before heading back to Columbus for each to experience his first NHL training camp.
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Sillinger made the roster right away while Chinakhov was initially sent to the AHL before a quick return to the Blue Jackets for most of the season. Inconsistency in his play, plus his first bouts with health issues, limited him to seven goals, seven assists and 14 points in 62 NHL games.
It was more of the same the next two years, as Chinakhov played just 30 NHL games in 2022-23 and 53 in 2023-24. Nagging back problems were the biggest issue, and they cropped up again last season. Chinakhov missed the bulk of yet another season with back pain, playing just 30 games, and coach Dean Evason sat him as a healthy scratch down the final stretch.
That was after Chinakhov returned to Russia in February during the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off break to undergo an unspecified back procedure to alleviate his pain. Upon returning March 21, he struggled catching up with the NHL's fast pace and was scratched in 12 of the Jackets' final 13 games, including all six of their six-game winning streak to end the season.
That's how Chinakhov went into the offseason.
Blue Jackets right wing Yegor Chinakhov takes a shot against the Oilers on Oct. 28.
What can the Columbus Blue Jackets get from trading Yegor Chinakhov?
This is the second straight offseason that Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell has dealt with a trade request. He traded Laine in August to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Jordan Harris and wasn't required to pick up any of what was left on Laine's remaining two contract years.
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Harris is with the Boston Bruins after the Jackets decided against tendering him a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent, but salary was the biggest part of the Laine trade for Columbus. Trading Chinakhov is different because he's younger, has only a year left on a contract with an economical $2 million salary-cap hit and will still be a restricted free agent after it expires.
Waddell will almost certainly ask for an established NHL player in return, since Chinakhov appears to have one of the Blue Jackets' 12 forward roles heading into the season. Trading him would create another hole up front for a team that didn't re-sign James van Riemsdyk ( Detroit Red Wings ), Sean Kuraly (Boston Bruins) and Justin Danforth ( Buffalo Sabres ).
Blue Jackets right wing Yegor Chinakhov skates behind Blues goaltender Joel Hofer during a September preseason game.
The ideal swap would be something that sends Chinakhov to a team looking to move a similar young forward with upside who hasn't lived up to expectations. Other returns could be built around a draft pick or package of picks, but Waddell's preference is an NHL talent in/NHL talent out deal.
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He isn't pressured to make a trade, either.
Chinakhov is under contract with the Blue Jackets for one more season and could boost his trade value immensely by staying put. That could also give Chinakhov and the Jackets time to sort out their differences. Perhaps Chinokhov feels different about Columbus closer to the trade deadline on March 6.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Yegor Chinakhov trade request: What Columbus Blue Jackets could get
