"Homesick" Rookie Considering Bolting on Blue Jackets Back To Russia

A surprisingly strong start to his rookie season for a Columbus Blue Jackets forward may be coming to a premature end. According to a report, 23-year-old Dmitri Voronkov is homesick and might be heading back to Russia. 

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen tells Aaron Portzline of The Athletic that the youngster is considering going home, but that they hope it doesn't come to that. 

“We are dealing with it internally,” Kekäläinen said. “It’s normal for a young player to feel homesick at times. And so we’re dealing with it.”

Going into Sunday's action, Voronkov has registered three goals, six assists and nine points in 15 games thus far in his first NHL campaign, in just 12:45 of ice time per game. He's been playing on a line mainly with prized rookie Adam Fantilli, often in the top-six. He's even been getting plenty of run on the second power play unit. 

Portzline says the issue comes down to a couple of factors for the youngster.

The biggest hurdle is that Voronkov speaks almost no English, and it was hoped that the Russian players on the roster — Ivan Provorov, Kirill Marchenko and Yegor Chinakhov — would help with his adjustment to a new culture.  (Also) He is not married and does not have any family members with him.

Kekäläinen says that he's definitely well-liked on the team, however. "He gets along with everybody. He’s got a really good personality. There’s a twinkle in his eye." The GM will try introducing him to more Russians in the Columbus area. 

If the Blue Jackets can't smooth things over and convince Voronkov to stay, they would have to loan him back to his club in Russia’s KHL, Kazan Ak-Bars. 

 Photo: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports