Blue Jackets Rumors: Forward Yegor Chinakhov Named Prime Trade Candidate

Monday, April 28, 2025
Columbus Blue Jackets Yegor Chinakhov skates with puck during 2025 game.

The Columbus Blue Jackets came painfully close to a playoff spot in 2025, but missing out has sparked what promises to be a very active offseason. 

General manager Don Waddell made it clear the team has “most of the pieces” to contend, but also emphasized that improvements, especially on defense and in goal, are necessary. Columbus scored a franchise-record 267 goals this season but allowed just as many, pointing to the urgent need for defensive upgrades and more reliable goaltending. Goaltending, defense, and top-six scoring top the to-do list.

Waddell enters the summer with $41 million in projected cap space and two first-round picks, giving him serious flexibility. Expect him to aggressively pursue upgrades, particularly between the pipes where Elvis Merzlikins' inconsistency remains a major concern. Backup Daniil Tarasov has also fallen out of favor, and while Jet Greaves offers hope, Waddell made it clear no position is safe: “If we don’t examine every position and dissect everything that we’ve done this year, we’re not doing our jobs.”

Yegor Chinakhov Becoming a Potential Trade Chip

One name increasingly floating around trade speculation is 24-year-old winger Yegor Chinakhov. Despite his talent — including one of the hardest shots on the team — durability issues have plagued his career, limiting him to just 175 out of a possible 328 games. 

After a promising start to 2024-25, an upper-body injury derailed Chinakhov’s momentum, and he finished the season pushed down the depth chart. With Columbus looking for another top-six scorer, Chinakhov’s affordable $2.1 million cap hit could make him a valuable piece in a trade package to land a proven impact forward.

As Waddell and the Jackets gear up for a big offseason, Chinakhov represents the classic "sell high" candidate: a talented player whose ceiling is appealing to other teams but whose fit in Columbus might be running out of time.

Photo Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

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