Striker Yegor Činachov is indeed moving after months of speculation. According to insider Pierre LeBrun, the Columbus Blue Jackets have decided to grant his trade request and trade him for draft capital. It was subsequently confirmed by Elliotte Friedman from Sportsnet, who added that the Russian is heading to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Columbus gets forward Danton Heinen for the Russian winger, as well as a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick.
Činachov’s story in Columbus is already well known. The No. 21 pick in the 2020 draft has spent most of the last five years with the Blue Jackets, but the relationship with the organization began to deteriorate significantly last season after the arrival of coach Dean Evason.
Even in 2023/24, Činachov had the best season of his career statistically. He finished ninth in team scoring with 16 goals and 29 points in 53 games while averaging over 15 minutes per game. However, after the arrival of Evason, Činachov’s role diminished. Since then, he has collected 10 goals and 21 points in 59 games, and his average ice time has fallen to just over 13 minutes.
Dissatisfaction with the role eventually resulted in an official request for a trade during the summer. According to behind-the-scenes information, there was interest from other clubs, but general manager Don Waddell was only willing to negotiate a player-for-player trade, narrowing the market significantly. At the beginning of the season, there were signs that the relationship between the coach and the player had improved, but this did not affect the workload.
Now Činachov gets a new start. In Pittsburgh, he has a chance to establish himself in at least a middle-six role. The Penguins likely won’t be reaching for their two elite formations, but RUs could immediately represent an offensive upgrade on the third line, which has featured Ville Koivunen with one goal and four points in 25 games so far. At the same time, it is possible to connect it to a second power unit.
At the same time, it was expected that the Pens would tend to sell and change the lineup. That’s why the fans were surprised that the club gave up the second and third rounds of the draft.
Share on Facebook
Share on Google+
Share on Twitter
