Does Russian forward want out?
Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reported last night that young Russian winger Yegor Chinakhov is "unhappy" with Columbus and may request a trade.
Chinakhov's agent, Shumi Babaev says “He doesn’t feel they trust him, and he wants to leave,” “They don’t understand how bad ‘Chinny’ feels.” Also according to Hedger's report, "Babaev said he expressed Chinakhov’s concerns to Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen about 10 days ago, but no trade request has been made yet." You can read the full article here.
Chinakhov has had his fair share of injuries in his short career, from the high-ankle sprain last season, to a back issue at the start of this preseason that saw him start in Cleveland when he got healthy. But since his NHL return, he has played in 12 games and has 2 goals and 4 points. For his career in 104 games, he has 13 goals and 31 points.
This comes on the heels of a report this past weekend that said Dmitri Voronkov was homesick and wanted to return to Russia. This report was confirmed, but yesterday Voronkov said he's had a change of heart and was going to stay in America.
You can listen to Chinakhov's post-game presser here.
With the "Russian Four" all playing well last night, this report may hurt Jackets fans feelings. Yegor Chinakhov is a beloved among Jackets fans and hearing that he may ask out is going to hurt.
THN Columbus will keep you up to date on any new developments on this story.
Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.