Blue Jackets Recall Yegor Chinakhov, Demote Kent Johnson

The Blue Jackets have stood by their word this season. After making it abundantly clear that simply being “okay” was not good enough any longer, they demoted 2021 5th overall pick Kent Johnson to the American Hockey League on Friday.

The move does come as a bit of a surprise, but really, it should not. Johnson has struggled mightily early in the season, scoring just 1 goal and 2 assists in 8 games played. He’s also been a healthy scratch twice for the Blue Jackets. In last night’s game against Tampa Bay, he did not see the ice again for the final 14:03 of the game … playing a team-low 8:45. It has not gone his way so far this year, and clearly, a reset was needed here.

There are two ways this can go in the immediate future. Kent can put his head down and get to work, earning his way back up. Or, he can put on a pouty face and spend the rest of the season in the American Hockey League. Ultimately, the outcome will be fully determined by his play and attitude, so this will be interesting to watch.

I don’t see this as any indication that Kent has asked (or will ask) for a trade. Being a 5th overall selection does not entitle you to the NHL. You still have to work to get there, and my hope here is that he’s willing to do what Cole Sillinger did last season: take full advantage of the fresh opportunity. He needs to build some scoring confidence, and what better place than the American Hockey League?

On the positive side of things, Yegor Chinakhov gets a well-earned recall and an opportunity to play in the NHL. This comes after a red hot start to his season with Cleveland, where he scored 3 goals and 4 points in 3 games played. He’s a first round pick himself, taken 21st overall at the 2020 NHL Draft; and while he’s struggled with injuries throughout his young professional career, he’s shown a knack for being a solid two-way player. And he still has that lethal wrist shot.

It will be interesting to see where Chinakhov will slot in, and how he does with the Jackets. They’ve been searching for some chemistry throughout the lineup early on, and are still looking to find that offensive spark. Maybe the speedy sniper will bring it.