The Columbus Blue Jackets have a few big decisions to make in the next handful of months. First, Yegor Chinakhov and his public trade request will need to be dealt with. Secondly, and potentially most importantly, there was talk just hours before the 2025 NHL Draft that the organization was looking to trade Dmitri Voronkov in an attempt to land Noah Dobson.
Now the question is, are they truly going to trade Voronkov? Well, I guess the best answer would be yes, if they could get an impactful talent like Dobson. If not, it doesn't seem likely that they would move him just for the sake of it. He has been a very good player for the club and would be harder to replace in terms of production.
However, if the Blue Jackets got the chance to land a top star, it would be safe to say that Voronkov would be used as one of the club's top trade chips. At just 24 years old, he has shown that he can be a good point producer at the NHL level. Last season, in 73 games, he had 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points, which set a new career high by 14 points from his 34-point season in his first year in the NHL.
Voronkov would likely be considered the biggest trade chip that the Blue Jackets have, but it isn't a 100 percent guarantee that he will be moved. Keeping him on the roster and hoping that he can hit the 60-point mark next season would be ideal for the Blue Jackets.
