Yegor Chinakhov has gotten into the last two games for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and now it's obvious: it's time for these two sides to part ways.
Yegor's much anticipated season debut came on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche. He skated on the fourth line, alongside Zach Aston-Reese and Isac Lundestrom.
In that game, he wasn't very noticeable at all. He had 12 shifts, accruing exactly 9:00 of ice time in the 4-1 loss. His only moment in the spotlight came at the wrong time: on Colorado's third goal of the night, late in the second period.
On that play, he found himself in a pretty good defensive position to start. But the Avalanche made a saucer pass that went over his stick. That's fine, it happens. Until he was slow to recover. He didn't pressure the point quickly enough to prevent a shot - nor did he block it.
Instead, he acted as a high screen and did a "flyby" across the top of the slot. This is the kind of play that drives head coaches absolutely crazy. Still, Dean Evason gave him and his line regular shifts in the third period, so there was some forgiveness here.
This goal wasn't entirely Yegor's fault. There were a series of casual mistakes made by the Blue Jackets on this play. But, for a guy who is trying to play his way up the lineup, you would like to see him make more of an effort to get out and prevent or disrupt this shot in the first place.
On Saturday night, things didn't get any better. In fact, at one point, I had to remind myself to watch for him because I couldn't recall the last time I had seen him on the ice.
That's another bad sign when you're hoping to see a guy showcase himself and prove he deserves a higher spot in the lineup.
Yegor saw just three shifts in the third period, and finished the night with just 6:47 played. This wasn't a case where the entire line was benched, either. Aston-Reese and Lundestrom each played two more shifts in the third, and finished with 2-3 minutes more ice time.
It's time to move on.
The Blue Jackets find themselves in a tough situation with Yegor Chinakhov. The best outcome here would be recouping some kind of asset or assets for him, and giving him a chance somewhere else.
He's an extremely talented player, one of the best skaters and shooters in the entire NHL when he's on his game. The problem is, he has not been on his game for almost a full year now.
Since a hot start to last season where he scored 7 goals and 14 points in 21 games, his stat line has fallen off of the charts. After coming back from his undisclosed upper body injury, he has played 11 games, registering 1 assist and a -9 rating.
In his two games this season, he's looked uninspired and has only been a shadow of his former self. To be honest, it's hard to blame him. He's a guy who is much better suited for a role inside the top-6, where he could show off some of his skill.
The fact of the matter is, he's not going to be able to do that on a line with Zach Aston-Reese and Isac Lundestrom.
From a team standpoint though, they are wanting to build a culture of accountability. And, Yegor has not done enough to earn those top-six minutes. Even if the job is the undesirable task of dumping pucks into the corner and eating up hard minutes, he just hasn't done it well enough.
Whether he's still dealing with the effects of an injury, or if he's just not interested in playing in Columbus any longer, something is amiss here.
So, unless he comes out guns blazing and shows the world what he can do tomorrow night in Dallas, it feels like he's headed back for the press box as soon as Miles Wood recovers to full health.
Maybe that's the best way to sum it up. Yegor Chinakhov has been so far behind the game early this season, that a player who was considered a throw-in to clear salary cap space over the summer, will be looked upon as a lineup improvement.
It's time for the Blue Jackets to move on and let him have a chance somewhere else.