With the Blue Jackets looking more like a lottery team than a playoff contender early in the season, of course the trade rumors are already starting to heat up. This morning, TSN's Pierre LeBrun speculated on Dmitri Voronkov, who is reportedly available on the market.
Some teams calling with interest on winger Dmitri Voronkov. Not saying he will be traded for sure but CBJ listening.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 22, 2026
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, at this point. Voronkov (or, Big Boss, if you prefer) has found himself in the Rick Bowness doghouse, despite his obvious upside. He has already been a healthy scratch on two occasions this season, and according to lines at practice yesterday; he might be in the press box again this weekend.
To be honest, I'm completely baffled that the Blue Jackets can't find a place for him in their lineup. This team is completely devoid of any consistently dangerous secondary scoring threats, which is exactly what Voronkov can be if he's used correctly.
Sure, he's going to take the odd penalty due to his size and foot speed. And of course, there are going to be bumps and bruises. The key is using him in the right situations, which the Blue Jackets most certainly are not doing right now.
Misused and underappreciated.
Would you believe me if I told you that Voronkov is fourth on the team in scoring since he entered the league? That's a fact. Since coming to North America for the 2023-24 season, he has played 217 games with the Blue Jackets.
In that time, he's scored 58 goals (third most on the team) and 115 points (fourth). The only players ahead of him are Zach Werenski, some guy that plays in Toronto, and Adam Fantilli. Big Boss has 11 more points than Cole Sillinger, and 15 more points than Kent Johnson in that span; and both of them have been identified as core players on this team.
He's also second in penalty minutes (172), which seems to be an important trait under both Bowness and Don Waddell; who favor bigger, more physical players. He's responsible on both sides of the puck, and he has 4 more power-play goals than any other player on this roster since he came into the league.
In fact, up until January of last year, he was a viable second line winger for this team. He's proven capable of scoring in that 40-50 point range, especially when used as the net-front man on the power-play.
So, what changed in January? I'll give you one hint. If you don't recall and don't want to click the link, the answer is the coaching change. Bowness seems hell bent on forcing Big Boss to become a different player, which has taken him away from doing the things that make him an effective weapon.
Since the coaching change, Dimitri's average time on ice has dipped from 16-17 minutes per night, all the way down to 13 minutes. On many nights, he's buried on the fourth line, and can't get any ice time with the man advantage. As a result, his productivity is way down. Who would have guessed?
While I get that his foot speed is a big concern, he's definitely not the only player on this roster with that issue. In fact, the guy centering the second line right now has the same question marks; but he's averaging 3-4 more minutes per night despite only having one more point on the season.
Somehow, the Blue Jackets do not have room for a 6'5", 230 pound guy with soft hands and a bit of a mean streak. I'm sure another team will, and I'm sure that whoever acquires him for pennies on the dollar will be ecstatic when he immediately returns to form as a 20+ goal, 40+ point player. Sound familiar?
Meanwhile, the Jackets will use the inevitable draft picks they acquire to start all over again, hoping they can find the next Dmitri Voronkov. It's just a shame they won't realize this until it's way too late.
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