Thanks to the 79 readers who submitted ballots in this year’s ranking of Columbus Blue Jackets players under the age of 25. After five weeks, we start the Top 5 of our rankings today.
#5 – Yegor Chinakhov
Voting
5th out of 45 eligible players
Writer Rank: 5th
Reader Rank: 5th
Highest Placement: 3rd (Two votes)
Most Common Placement: 6th (14 votes)
2022 Rank: 8th
Biography
Birthday: February 1st, 2001
Birthplace: Omsk, Russia
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 190 lbs
Position: Wing
Shoots: Left
Acquired: 2020 1st Round Pick (21st overall) by the Blue Jackets
2022-23 Season
After an up-and-down rookie year, Yegor Chinakhov had his sophomore season cut short, only appearing in 30 games before an ankle injury shut him down for the year in mid-December. He recorded only four goals and nine assists, a 35-point pace over a full season, as he struggled with deployment issues (mostly in the bottom six) and being paired with fellow slumping sophomore Cole Sillinger. Not terrible, especially considering how atrocious this team was last year, but disappointing considering his elite shot.
2023-24 Outlook
Chinakhov is in kinda a weird spot. Overblown by fellow Russian sniper Kirill Marchenko, he’s unlikely to make the top two lines inititally. He doesn’t fit in a fourth-line role, which basically leaves him in a smorgasbord of a battle for the third line with the likes of Emil Bemstrom, Alexandre Texier, and Liam Foudy, not to mention it’s likely at least one of Cole Sillinger, Jack Roslovic, Adam Fantilli, or Dmitry Voronkov will be pushed to the wing. He’ll either prove himself to new coach Mike Babcock in training camp, or be sent down to Cleveland. But his development could be on a lot worse of a path than first line AHL minutes with Voronkov and Trey Fix-Wolansky.
Highlights
Here’s all 11 goals of Chinny’s young NHL career, ft. national treasure Jakub Voracek