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The Columbus Blue Jackets and Yegor Chinakhov have been destined for a split for over a year. The disgruntled forward had fallen out of favor with the organization, and his place in their NHL lineup disappeared accordingly.
After one final try to begin the 2025-2026 season, the Blue Jackets ended the Chinakhov experiment. The team struck a deal with their Metropolitan Division rivals, which sends the 24-year-old winger to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins are acquiring Chinakhov in exchange for draft picks, according to both Pierre LeBrun and Elliotte Friedman. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline was the first to report that a pair of unspecified draft picks would head to Columbus in return.
Why This Deal Makes Sense
For the Blue Jackets, this deal ends a chapter they’ve been trying to move on from. The Jackets have reshaped their forward group, bringing in veterans like Charlie Coyle and Mason Marchment to round out their scoring depth. Chinakhov was a player just taking up space in their lineup, with no real chance to play a pivotal role. Now, Columbus has a few extra draft picks to utilize for further moves or hang on to.
For the Penguins, the Kyle Dubas plan is in full effect. His plan for several seasons now has been to take chances on younger talent and to collect more exciting prospects and draft picks to propel the organization past the Sidney Crosby Era in Pittsburgh.
Chinakhov fits the bill of a young talent worth taking a flyer on. The team can give him top-six minutes, and that will only increase as the team likely moves on from more veterans before the season ends. He could even get the chance to play with Crosby, which should only elevate the young forward’s career.
What Chinakhov Offers His New Team
A former first-round pick of the Blue Jackets, Chinakhov brings more than just the desire for a fresh start. He has decent size, coming in at 6’1″ and weighing over 200 pounds. Despite not being a huge player by today’s definition, he uses his body extremely well. His lower-body is incredibly strong and he uses it to get moving and to help gain position in the offensive zone.
There’s also reason to believe in a player after a fresh start. There’s infinite cases of players switching teams and suddenly their game comes to life. The drawn out issues between Columbus and Chinakhov have obviously affected his game in a negative way, but now he has the chance to start over and show what kind of player he can be in the NHL.