Somehow, it's already been five years since Yegor Chinakhov became the shock of the first round of the 2020 NHL draft when he was selected 21st overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets. In his first four years playing NHL hockey in North America, he's played in just 53% (175 of 328) of the games the NHL club has played (including his time in the American Hockey League).
That trend continued again this season. Yegor played in 30 contests during the 2024-2025 CBJ campaign for the second time in his young career.
Before missing an extended period of time during the middle of the season, Chinakhov started off hot. He slashed a 3-5-8 line in 9 games during October and followed a slow start to November by finishing his 2024 with three goals in four games. Then came the game against the Montreal Canadiens on 11/27. That would be the final game Yegor would play until March of 2025.
Yegor has suffered from a nagging back injury that became aggravated again during that part of the season. According to multiple reports, surgery was not an option for the young Russian forward: his only option was to rest, recuperate, and be forced to watch the club from the press box.
While Chinakhov's injury history is unfortunate, he has never played even close to a full season of hockey in North America. It was surprising to see a player of his little-known talent get selected where he was during the NHL Draft.
It was a move like the one of taking Pierre-Luc Dubois over Jesse Puljujarvi (that one turned out alright) that former CBJ General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen bet his reputation and job on all those years ago. However, the key point is just that: Chinakhov was a draft pick made by the previous regime.
While Yegor was signed to a contract extension by now-current General Manager Don Waddell last offseason, it is due to expire next summer. Don Waddell's comments about the young forward have mostly been positive, and concerned about his "steady improvement" as a prospect, it remains to be seen whether or not Chinakhov can stay in the new leadership's good graces, or if he has already lost that status.
Chinakhov consistently flashes the high-end skill and upside that alerted Columbus to his talent years ago. He possesses a wicked shot that can rifle pucks at goaltenders at speeds as high as ninety-five miles per hour (or perhaps greater), and is one of the quicker skaters on a club already filled to the brim with them.
He's been a personal favorite player of mine to watch since I first saw him in Cleveland several years ago, and I desperately want to see him succeed. He's as cheerful as they come, a good friend to everyone in the locker room, and is a great character guy to have around the club.
Despite all of that, however, his future may not hold much more time with the Columbus Blue Jackets if his nagging back injury isn't solved soon. I would not be surprised if Yegor is dealt sometime this offseason for a more reliable veteran or draft capital. I hope he spends the summer resting and getting healthy, and we see Yegor back on the ice fully healthy and tearing it up as a goal-scorer in 2025-26.