The Columbus Blue Jackets have 59 days until the home opener at Nationwide Arena. Today, we talk about Yegor Chinakhov and the drama that surrounds him. 

Yegor Chinakhov was drafted in October 2020, and when he was taken #21 overall. It was a headscratcher to experts, and 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 season 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 NHL 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 power-play 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 tallied eight points. He was again struck by the injury bug while playing for Cleveland.

In April of 2023, Chinakhov was signed to a one-year contract extension for an AAV of 800k. He was still waiver-exempt, so he spent some time in Cleveland that season, playing in three games, and scoring 3 goals while rehabbing an injury.

In the 23-24 season, Yegor Chinakhov broke out. While playing in 53 games, he set career highs in goals, assists, and points. He scored 16 goals and had 29 points while averaging 15:10 of ice time. He also shot 14.5%, which was up by 5% from the previous year.

Unfortunately, he dealt with some injuries last season. He missed the first few weeks of the season, making his CBJ debut on November 4th. He also missed the final month of the season with an upper-body injury.

Later in 2023, there were rumors that he was "unhappy" in Columbus and may want out. His agent, Shumi Babaev, told THN Columbus that "At the moment, there are no conversations about a trade on our part. He likes Columbus, both the team and the city." He went to tell us that "We are in touch with the General Manager (Jarmo), the only thing Yegor wants is to have more ice time, feel the coach's trust, and help the team win more games. He's very happy after yesterday's game. Felt great on the new line."

Chinakhov is still a young 24, turning 25 in February, so he still has plenty of time to prove himself. He's only played in 175 NHL games, so it's easy to forget he's barely been in North America for four 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 with playing for Dean Evason.

When he was drafted, the Jackets needed a shoot-first winger who could score goals. Now they have two in the form of Kirill Marchenko and Chinakhov. Or do they?

Don Waddell got his new contract taken care of almost right away after coming to Columbus, signing him to a 2-year, $4,200,000 contract on June 21st, 2024. About a week before his re-signing, his agent told THN Columbus that the two sides weren't really close on a new deal. A week later, the deal was made.

Chinakhov only played in 30 games last season, scoring 7 goals and totaling 15 points. He attempted to come back later in the season, but was benched when he just didn't look right to Dean Evason.

Fast forward to this year's offseason, and Yegor Chinakhov is embroiled in a bit of drama, again. Last month, Chinakhov said through his agent on X, "I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season. Now I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location. Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here."

He went on to say, "The most interesting thing is that at the end of the year, even at a meeting, everyone was called, but there were no questions for me. I mostly talked to the assistants because the head coach said, 'The assistants will explain everything to you.' But they don’t explain anything."

His agent reiterated a wish for a trade in an interview where he said, "I hope that the club has heard Yegor and will try to find a trade before the championship starts. Let's hope that he will start the season in another team."

Both he and defenseman Jordan Harris raised concerns about a lack of communication between players and the coaching staff.

Don Waddell has since come out and said that he and Chinakhov's agent would talk, and if something came along that satisfied Waddell in terms of a trade, he would consider it. But as of now, he expects Chinakhov to be healthy and in camp this fall.

Since it came out a month ago, about Chinakhov wanting out of Columbus, all sides have been radio silent on the matter. He has one year left on his current deal, and then he will be an RFA. Since the news came out, just about every fan base in the NHL has put its own trade scenario on the web. Most are ridiculous, but when a player asks out of a situation, nothing is really off the table.

What do you think about Yegor Chinakhov and this situation?

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