Yegor Chinakhov has signed a new contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

I remember watching the 1st round of the 2020 draft.

It was the "Covid draft" where everybody had to wear masks and exercise "social distancing".

And I also remember Chinakhov at #21 as being an "off the board" pick.



It paid off.

Great pick and great signing here by Columbus.

In Jarmo we trust!

this signing screams a player that's khl bound

One year deal sounds fishy. Another case of a player not wanting to be in Columbus or maybe has KHL offers tempting him...

Or it's a player with lots of potential that only wanted a one year 'show me deal' before he signs a proper bridge.

Absolute W

Seems like a 'last chance' deal.

Very this.

He’s also still waivers exempt next season, so CBJ can (and likely will) be sending him to Cleveland for a good chunk of time. He at least gets rewarded with a one-way salary.

His production was on the upswing this year, only his second in the league. Injuries have been a concern, and definitely needs more AHL seasoning, but I still see a legit NHLer in there somewhere.

This deal kind of surprised me. Chinakov has shown some serious flashes, but hasn’t been able to put a consistent season together. I expected a two or three year deal for around 1150000, which would have allowed him to play in Cleveland without Columbus eating any salary. My guess is that China wanted a prove it deal, but who knows.