Yegor Chinakhov Is Becoming Irreplaceable for the Blue Jackets

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have recently been playing a faster and more physical brand of hockey, which head coach Dean Evason is known to install. However one of the best Blue Jackets as of late has been a player not known for that style of play. Yegor Chinakhov, and his wicked wrist shot, have been the center of attention for a Blue Jackets offense that has been thriving as of late.

Chinakhov was a healthy scratch to begin the season after a long offseason of rumors and question marks surrounding his tenure with the Blue Jackets. He formally requested a trade in mid-July through his agent Shumi Babaev, and Blue Jackets management began working toward a solution for both sides. With his recent play, however, the Blue Jackets are exposing Chinakov’s rising value and winning both sides of the debate.

Watching Chinakhov play some of his best hockey of his young career, you can’t help but see the argument for keeping him and wanting to see what the Blue Jackets’ young core is capable of achieving before breaking them apart. Chinakhov could be a big piece of that puzzle.

His development from being a questionable pick at the end of the first round in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, into what now seems to be one of the top pieces for contenders to try and add, shows the potential he has. He has deficiencies on the defensive side of the puck, but some of the top offensive players in the world have that same problem. If his superb offensive ability can carry this Blue Jackets team anywhere, you would be hard-pressed to see him traded anywhere.

Currently Chinakhov carries a moderately-low salary number that does not hurting the Blue Jackets much at all, but his offensive upside has been a spark in games and got the team going. His first goal of the season came Saturday night in Pittsburgh against the Penguins to give the Blue Jackets a 3-2 lead early in the third period, in a game they would go on to win in a shootout.

However, that was not the only display of offensive brilliance Chinakhov has shown this season. He has been one of the main reasons the Blue Jackets are currently third in the league in expected goals per 60 minutes.

With the obvious production, the Blue Jackets have a reason to want to make this work with one of their homegrown players in terms of draft capital. Dealing Chinakhov would not likely return the type of talent that would allow the Blue Jackets to compete this season, and likely wouldn’t return the type of player to fill any sort of need currently either.

Evason will keep letting his offensively-minded players play, and this mentality of not putting a leash on these players or trying to restrain them by playing in the confines of a system that doesn’t fit their game, is one of the separating factors between Evason and the previous coaches in recent Blue Jackets history.

What Must Chinakhov do Moving Forward?

The biggest thing Chinakhov needs to do to maintain his spot within a talented group of forwards is to keep playing his style of hockey. He can not let the flow of the game dictate how he attacks a team. The thing that makes him so dangerous is his ability to create from out of nowhere, and I believe that is exactly what the Blue Jackets lack without him.

Columbus Blue Jackets Yegor Chinakhov
Columbus Blue Jackets Yegor Chinakhov (Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images)

He is not asked to be a facilitator, but putting him on a forward line with Zach Aston-Reese and Isac Lundeström gives him enough room to play a risky offensive style knowing he has two willing defenders to support him on his forward pairing.

The lines the Blue Jackets deployed against the Penguins were some of the most complete and efficient they have had this season. It gave the Blue Jackets a great chance to win, and the team did just that.

Moreover, I thought the report card from the game showed exactly how balanced the Blue Jackets’ attack was and how impactful Chinakhov’s individual offensive game was. He played one of his best games, and is going to be a guy moving forward that will likely get special teams work added onto his responsibilities because of his unique and difficult shot.

Be on the lookout Chinakhov’s offensive firepower to lead Columbus — this might just be the start to one of the Blue Jackets’ budding stars finding his footing on a team that might blow expectations out of the water this season.

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