The Chinakhov trade needed to happen
Although it was more of a matter of when rather than if, the Blue Jackets finally decided to trade away forward Yegor Chinakhov, sending him to Pittsburgh for two draft picks and Danton Heinen just hours before the Jackets' game against the Ottawa Senators Monday night.
From the Penguins, Columbus acquired a 2026 second-round pick that was originally from St. Louis and a 2027 third-round pick that was originally from Washington.
This return was more than many were expecting, but Pittsburgh's abundance of draft capital combined with Heinen's contract being seen as a negative asset make the trade understandable for the Penguins.
Although Chinakhov had shown flashes of high-end offensive skill and has even been a decent defender, he simply wasn't able to put it all together in Columbus, and a soured relationship with the team and head coach Dean Evason certainly didn't help things.
As for Heinen, he allows Columbus to keep depth among their forward group, as he could hold his own in the NHL, but will start his journey in the Blue Jackets franchise with their AHL affiliate in Cleveland.
The two trades can almost be viewed by fans as a singular trade; Marchment for Chinakhov, as the Jackets sent and gained a second-round pick, sent a fourth-round pick, and received a third-round pick and Heinen.
Basically, Columbus retained very similar draft capital after both trades are said and done, with the movement of players being what fans should focus on when looking at the two trades next to each other.
With Marchment already tallying five points, he is just a single point away from matching Chinakhov's season total to this point, despite having played 25 fewer games.
Don Waddell took advantage of the fact that both players needed a fresh start. Of course it is yet to be seen how Chinakhov will perform and develop in Pittsburgh, but it might not matter if Marchment continues to light up the scoresheet like he has so far with the Jackets.
Now the forward group is more well-rounded, as Dmitri Voronkov and Sean Monahan on the second line together give the team good size and secondary scoring.
Although Chinakhov's production in Pittsburgh and the direction that Columbus takes Marchment's future in will largely determine the perceived success of the sequence of trades in the future, it's hard not to feel like the Blue Jackets are right back in the mix for the playoffs.
Don Waddell has finally made a move that brings more win-now energy to the Blue Jackets. With the team on a three-game win streak, all without star defenseman Zach Werenski, the tide might just be turning. Right now Mason Marchment is looking like the missing piece of the puzzle that the team desperately needed.