Yes, I know the season is already underway, but we still have a few more posts to finish our Top 25 Under 25 countdown. Thanks to the 74 readers who submitted ballots in this year’s ranking of Columbus Blue Jackets players and prospects under the age of 25
#3 Yegor Chinakhov
Voting
3rd out of 42 eligible players
Writer Rank: 3rd
Reader Rank: 5th
Highest Placement: 1st (2 votes)
Most Common Placement: 3rd (20 votes)
2023 Rank: 5th (+2)
Biography
Birthdate: February 1, 2001
Birthplace: Omsk, Russia
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 201 lbs
Position: RW
Shoots: Left
Acquired: Drafted in the 1st round (21st overall) in 2020
2023-24 Season
After injuries limited his sophomore effort to just 30 games, this past season started off on the wrong foot for Chinakhov. He missed all of training camp and preseason with an injury, and didn’t make his season debut until November 4.
Things started to click once Chinakhov was put on a line with his countrymates Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko. In many games, the Globetrotting Troika was the lone bright spot. The personal high point for Chinakhov was a six game point streak in December, in which he scored 6/4/10 and the Jackets went 3-2-1.
You might think this would earn Chinakhov more ice time, but that wasn’t the case. His average of 15:10 was an improvement over 12:30 and 13:15 in his first two seasons, respectively, but his 12:16 of 5v5 play per game ranked just 8th among the 12 forwards with at least 500 5v5 minutes.
The injury bug struck again in March, keeping Chinakhov out of the lineup for the final month of the season and limiting him to 53 games. Still, he recorded a career-high 16 goals (fourth best on the team), more than the 11 combined in a total of 92 games in his first two seasons.
2024-25 Outlook
As an RFA this summer, Chinakhov signed another bridge deal, this time worth an average annual value of $2.1M over two years. He will be an RFA with arbitration rights in the summer of 2026, when he will still be just 25.
The best news for Chinakhov this summer, however, was the trade of Patrik Laine to Montreal. This created a chance for Chinakhov to be the go-to sniper, especially on the power play. His second big opportunity came right before the start of the regular season, when Boone Jenner injured his shoulder in practice. New head coach Dean Evason elevated Chinakhov to Jenner’s spot on the left wing of the first line, next to Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko.
I figured this line could work, but I didn’t think they’d be so good so soon. He had a goal and two assists in the 6-4 win over Colorado, and an assist in the two losses. He was a +2 in the 4-3 home opener loss to Florida.
We’ve seen Chinakhov’s all-around game improve, so he’s able to contribute even when his powerful shot isn’t going in. The key now will be staying healthy even while taking on a heavier workload.
Highlights
His best game of 2023-24 was a 2 goal/3 point night in a win against St. Louis.