Summer Spotlight: Chinakhov remains an intriguing young talent

Jul 25, 2023

Number: 59

Birth date: Feb. 1, 2001 (age 22)

Birthplace: Omsk, Russia

Height, Weight: 6-1, 204

2022-23 Stats: 30 GP, 4-9-13

Contract: Signed through 2023-24 season (One year remaining until RFA status)

Throughout the entire preseason last fall, much of the talk was about how impressive Yegor Chinakhov was.

There was reason for the chatter, of course, as the young Blue Jackets winger couldn't stop scoring. In the end, his six goals during the preseason led all NHL players, and it looked like the Russian forward was about to make a massive impact.

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No less than Patrik Laine, who knows a thing or two about filling up the net, was impressed by Chinakhov's goal-scoring prowess.

"He's been great," Laine said at the time. "You can see that he's been taking steps from last year, and obviously scored a lot of goals, which is good for his confidence. … Hopefully he can keep it up. He can definitely score a lot of goals."

In the end, Chinakhov actually saw his goal-scoring total dip from seven in his rookie season to just four last year, but that's a bit of a misleading number thanks to an injury ending his season after just 30 games. Chinakhov was a more impactful player during the season, upping his assist total to a career-best nine, and there were stretches in the first part of the season where he was one of the Blue Jackets' best forwards.

He also continued to show the wicked wrist shot that can beat any goalie in the world, but just when it appeared Chinakhov could take the next step and have a breakout stretch, a Dallas player fell on his leg in a Dec. 19 game and caused a high ankle sprain. Chinakhov came close to returning, posting three goals and eight points in seven games with AHL Cleveland, but an injury setback ended his season.

If he can continue to improve, though, as he nears 100 games of NHL experience, the No. 21 overall pick in the 2020 draft looks like he has the potential to be a big part of the CBJ future.

Chinakhov scored in consecutive games in which he played in late November, intercepting a pass and converting a breakaway Nov. 20 vs. Florida and then tallying a 5-on-3 goal five days later in Nationwide Arena against the New York Islanders. We'll go with the latter as his top moment, as just 33 seconds later, Kent Johnson scored a power-play goal that tied the score and electrified the downtown barn. The two youngsters scoring such big goals in a short time span was an example of how bright the future is for the Blue Jackets given the offensive talent on hand.

Video: Yegor Chinakhov's Top Plays of 2022-23

It feels like Chinakhov has been around for a while given the fact he's spent he past two years with the Blue Jackets, but it's worth remembering he's just 22 years old, and the 2020 draft wasn't that long ago. In fact, he's one of just 10 players from that draft to have double digits in NHL goals at this point, placing ninth behind Tim Stutzle (73), Alexis Lafreniere (47), Dawson Mercer (44), Lucas Raymond (40), Seth Jarvis (31), Anton Lundell (30), Jack Quinn (15) and J.J. Peterka (12). Cole Perfetti is next with 10 to round out the top 10.

With two up-and-down years under his belt, Chinakhov is facing a big season. If he can build on his start from last year and become a consistent goal scorer -- and the talent sure seems to be there -- he can be a big piece of this Blue Jackets team. Last year's injury was a freak thing, so there shouldn't be a huge concern about his injury history, and he still has one of the best shots on the team. If you're looking for a potential breakout player, Chinakhov could be your guy.