The holiday roster freeze is officially over and the Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t wasted much time in making use of the open window. They have completed a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Yegor Chinakhov.
Chinakhov is the former 21st overall pick from the 2020 draft. He hasn’t been able to find the traction he’s wanted in Columbus and recently asked for a change of scenery. His request was granted, today.
Chinakhov had this to say in July when he made the request
“I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season. Now, I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location,” Chinakhov said, per his agent Shumi Babaev on X. “Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here.”
So here we are. Chinakhov gets a new start and Columbus gets some recovered draft capital and a depth player in, Danton Heinen.
Dubas dart throws
This trade is in line with what Kyle Dubas has tried on a few different occasions. He has shown a propensity to take dart throws at players in their mid-twenties looking for a change of scenery. We’ve seen this with players like Jesse Puljujarvi, Philip Tomasino, Cody Glass, Connor Dewar, Conor Timmins, and Arturs Silovs.
The big difference here is that all of those acquisitions came at a low price point. Trading for Yegor Chinakhov is costing the team a 2nd and 3rd round pick. This dart throw is going to have to pay better dividends than the other attempts he has made.
Chinakhov’s background
Chinakhov has pedigree due to being taken 21st overall by the Blue Jackets in 2020. Here is what Elite Prospects had to say about him as a player at the time of the selection
Chinakov’s offensive impact is impressive. He moves the puck quickly, supports the play well, and seems very aware of his options. His puck skills are high-end; he makes body fakes and quick cuts to force defenders to move their feet and open space. He consistently read opposing breakouts to intercept pucks. -EliteProspects 2020 NHL Draft Guide
After being drafted Chinakhov went to the KHL where he played in 32 games and had ten goals and 17 points. He earned rookie of the year honors for his play.
He had a slower start in the NHL where from 2021-23 he played in 92 games and had 11 goals and 27 points. In 2023-24 it finally looked like was getting his footing. Chinakhov had 16 goals and 29 points in 53 games.
He started 2024-25 with seven points in the first five games of the season. He had 14 points in 21 games when a back injury derailed him from late November all the way until March. In the nine games he played in after being hurt, he registered just a lone point. This year he only has six points in 29 games.
Clearly, Dubas is making a bet on Chinakhov being healthy and hoping that being in a different environment can facilitate some of the flashes that Chinakhov has shown to this point.
Additionally, the Penguins may have found a new player to use in their shootouts. If Chinakhov can do this in live game action I’m guessing he has a few shootout moves up his sleeve
My thoughts on the trade
I think it would be fair to say that Dubas paid a high price for this particular dart throw. He was being taxed on two ends. The first being that Chinakhov is a former first round pick. The second being that it was a trade within the division. Thus, going a little higher than I think most people would have thought for this deal.
Overall, I’m fine with using draft capital on younger players. The Penguins still have an absurd amount of draft picks in the coming years. Furthermore, I believe Dubas will be adding to the stockpile when he ultimately sells off some of the current Penguins.
Someone like Brett Kulak is likely to land them a 2nd or 3rd round pick at the deadline. Anthony Mantha has the potential to bring back a decent return if they ultimately end up trading him. Who knows what market, if any, there will be for Stuart Skinner. Then there’s the Rakell, Rust, Karlsson trio which will all be significant moves if and when they happen.
Ultimately, there are clear paths for the Penguins to recover what they spent in this trade.
Let’s not forget they just got a 2nd round pick for Tristan Jarry and he was sent to the AHL for poor play less than a year ago. They also got paid second round picks to take on Kevin Hayes and Matt Dumba.
It is OK to take some chances with the picks they got for weaponizing their cap space. The Penguins are still loaded with other picks
The issue with a trade like this is if it doesn’t pan out and Dubas follows it up with the same strategy and it fails again. We aren’t there, yet.
I think the Penguins scouting and drafting under Dubas has been an improvement and they have had a good eye for talent. I’m going to give them a little leeway here and let them take the chance they get a healthy Chinakhov.
It is a bold swing, but one that fits inside of the overall plan Dubas has set forth.
