Things have been going very well for the Buffalo Sabres as of late. The Sabres have won each of their last seven games and now have an 18-14-4 record. With this, they are now seventh in the Atlantic Division, but also only three points behind the third-place Tampa Bay Lightning. With this, the Sabres have created far more hope for their 2025-26 season. With the Sabres starting to improve and desperately looking to break their 14-year playoff drought, it would be understandable if new general manager Jarmo Kekalainen looked to add to the team's roster. With this, The Athletic's Chris Johnston recently named [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6916104/2025/12/26/nhl-trade-board-matchmaker-marchessault-murphy-fleury/] the Buffalo Sabres as a potential landing spot for Columbus Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov. "You won’t find anyone in the NHL more familiar with Chinakhov than Jarmo Kekäläinen, the man who drafted him in Columbus. With Kekäläinen now in charge of the Sabres front office, it’s not unreasonable to expect him to lean on some known quantities as he starts to put his own stamp on the Buffalo roster," Johnston wrote. Chinakhov would certainly have the potential to be an interesting addition for the Sabres. The 2020 first-round pick has skill and at 24 years old, the possibility of him hitting a new level is still there. Furthermore, while Chinakhov is in the final year of his current deal, he is a pending restricted free agent (RFA). With this, he would have the potential to be more than a rental for the Sabres if they issue him a qualifying offer over the summer. In 29 games so far this season with the Blue Jackets, Chinakhov has posted three goals and six points. While these numbers do not necessarily stand out, he notably had 16 goals and 29 points in 53 games for the Blue Jackets just back in 2023-24. He also had seven goals and 15 points in just 30 games last season.
