Just when we thought the Blue Jackets roster was mostly set, a trade request has arisen from Russian winger Yegor Chinakhov. Despite the player's request however, the Blue Jackets might be wise to hang onto him. After all, there's only one type of trade that would make sense for them.
Since being selected in the first round (#21 overall) by the Jackets at the 2020 NHL Draft, it seems like we have been waiting for Chinakhov to unlock his full potential. He will show us flashes of true top-six scoring potential, and then follow it up by a stretch of inconsistent play.
The only thing that has been consistent since he came to North America in 2021, has been time on the injured reserve list. As a result, we're still waiting for him to become the player we all know that he's capable of being.
Last season, Yegor looked to be finding that game. He was off to a promising start, scoring 7 goals and 14 points through the first 21 games of the season. He looked very good in the process, playing effective hockey on both sides of the puck. Until mid-November, he was playing by far the best hockey of his NHL career. But then, the injury bug hit. Again.
Yegor was pulled out of the lineup just after Thanksgiving, due to what was only called an "upper body injury". We later found out that it was a back ailment that had him on the sidelines; one that ultimately required surgery to repair. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get back into the CBJ lineup until March 4th.
At that time, he was wholly ineffective by every metric. It wasn't his fault. But, he looked rusty. His timing was completely off, and though the effort was there, it was often misguided and resulted in him being on the wrong side of the play. At a point in the season where this team was fighting for its playoff life, they could not have any passengers. Especially not one who is designed to be a scoring winger on their second line.
The entire team struggled during that stretch through March and into early April, so again, it's hard to fault a guy who hadn't played in more than three months. But, the coaching staff needed to do something, and clearly they saw the same things I saw. They decided that Yegor wasn't good enough to stay in the lineup.
He wants out, but it has to be a hockey trade.
For the reasons we just mentioned, I can understand why he wants to be traded. His entire career in Columbus has been marked by a team struggling to right the ship and come out of a rebuild. He's faced some really unfortunate injury luck, and hasn't been able to find much success here. I would like to see him find success, and a change of scenery could be really good for him.
Yegor is one of the best shooters in the entire NHL, and one of the best skaters. He's only 24, and he still has massive potential. I can see him as a 30 goal, 60 point player in this league - if he can just stay healthy. So, for the Jackets to trade this kind of player away right as he nears the prime of his career; they need to get a player in return.
Put simply, this can't be a futures trade. No move for draft picks, or for a stack of prospects here. They need to get a middle six winger in return, preferably one who can slot right into their second line and be productive alongside Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli.
In my opinion, if they can't get that, then there is no reason to trade Chinakhov away at this time. He's signed through next season and is still an RFA after that. They would be better off to keep him and hope that he and Dean Evason can work out their differences and find success. If that happens, then he's exactly what they need for their second line: a rush savvy scoring winger.
We will see where things go, but I wouldn't be surprised to see #59 at training camp this fall. If things don't work out early in the season, then they can always consider any offers for futures. But, if he starts hot as he did last year, the problem will either solve itself; or drive his trade value up enough to get what they really need to trade him.
Personally, I hope everyone finds a way to work through this. He's far too talented to give up on.