When he was drafted, the entire NHL world asked, "Who?"
Yegor Chinakhov was drafted in October 2020, and when he was taken #21 overall, it was a headscratcher to experts. The silence was deafening.
Chinakhov had only played junior hockey in Russia before being drafted and he would make his KHL debut during the 2020-21 for Avangard Omsk. In his first pro season in the KHL, he scored 10 goals and had 17 points. Chinakhov played so well that he was elevated to the top line for Avangard Omsk. After one season in the KHL, Chinakhov was signed to a three-year ELC in May of 2021.
Chinakhov then came to North America to start his pro career later in 2021. He would play in 62 games for the Blue Jackets in his rookie year, scoring seven goals and totaling 14 points. Under ex-coach John Tortorella, he averaged 12:30 of ice time and chipped in a single powerplay goal. He played one game for the Cleveland Monsters scoring one goal.
Chinakhov's 2022-23 season was derailed by a high-ankle sprain. He played in 30 NHL games, scored 4 goals, and totaled 13 points. After he came back from injury, he was sent down to Cleveland where he played seven games, and would tally eight points. He was again struck by the injury bug.
In April of this year, Chinakhov was signed to a one-year contract extension for an AAV of 800k. For the upcoming season, he will still be waivers exempt, meaning he can spend some time in Cleveland if needed, without the fear of being claimed on waivers.
Chinakhov is still a young 22, turning 23 in February, so he still has plenty of time to prove himself. He's only played in 92 NHL games so it's easy to forget he's barely been in North America for two years. He has a wicked shot and can score on any goalie he wants, but he needs to get better defensively, and he'll need to, playing for Mike Babcock.
When he was drafted, the Jackets needed a shoot-first winger who could score goals. Now they have one in the form of Kirill Marchenko, so can Chinakhov still make the team? He can technically play both wings which could help. Many people will argue that if healthy, he needs to be in the line-up ahead of Emil Bemstrom, which isn't a bad idea. But he will have a lot of competition playing on either wing.
He has a lot of fans rooting for him, and the Jackets won't give up on him, not after all the head-scratching after he was drafted. GM Jarmo Kekalainen trusted his scouts and went with who they liked, there is still lots of time to figure out if the pick was a success. He's a good young player, and if he can put it all together, look out.
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