The Buffalo Sabres' quest to add more scoring depth to their lineup has led to trade talks with the Columbus Blue Jackets about 2020 first-round pick Yegor Chinakhov.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported Friday the Sabres "recently kicked the tires" on Chinakhov after the Jackets gave the 24-year-old winger's agent, Rick Komarow, permission to speak with other clubs following the player's trade request.
"If the Jackets do decide to move him, they've told inquiring teams they're not just looking for draft picks, as they are hoping to be in the playoff chase again this season," LeBrun wrote. "It would be more of a hockey trade if they find a fit."
Chinakhov has recorded 72 points (34 goals and 38 assists) in 178 appearances across five seasons in Columbus. He's tallied one helper in three games this season after opening the 2025-26 campaign as a healthy scratch in wake of the trade request.
Columbus Blue Jackets' Yegor Chinakhov represents a potential boom-or-bust addition for the Buffalo Sabres
Chinakhov hasn't lived up to expectations since being selected with the No. 21 overall selection in the 2020 draft, and unhappiness with his unsteady role in Columbus has led his agent to explore opportunities for a fresh start in a new organization.
Meanwhile, the Sabres could use a top-nine forward as they deal with an endless stream of injuries that begin in training camp and has carried over to the regular season.
Josh Norris headlines a group of Buffalo forwards currently sidelined that also includes Jason Zucker, Jordan Greenway and Justin Danforth.
Chinakhov has scored 45 points (23 goals and 22 assists) in 86 contests since the start of the 2023-24 season, which is a solid rate of production for a middle-six winger, and there's still reason to believe he possesses more offensive upside in a defined role with a new team.
"I just want to show on the ice what I can do," Chinakhov told reporters at the start of camp. "That's it. I just try to be my best."
The "hockey trade" Columbus is reportedly seeking could make things difficult for Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams, though. Buffalo doesn't have a lot of movable assets who'd fit the Blue Jackets' timeline.
Jack Quinn would have made sense coming into the season as a swap of underperforming young players, but he's got off to a red-hot start with six points in seven games, and it's unlikely the Jackets would have much interest in the oft-injured Greenway.
The one name that could work from Buffalo's perspective is prospect Isak Rosen. The 22-year-old winger, a 2021 first-round selection, has scored 149 points in 199 appearances for the AHL's Rochester Americans but hasn't been able to crack the Blue and Gold's lineup.
Rosen wasn't given much of a chance during the preseason to fill the void left by JJ Peterka in the Sabres' top six, which suggests he's running out of chances to climb the organizational ladder.
Columbus would surely want additional assets, probably a combination of prospects or picks and perhaps a depth player like Beck Malenstyn, but Rosen could perhaps be the foundation of the offer since he's NHL ready and just waiting for his shot.
That said, it's possible the Jackets could get a more proven NHL commodity for Chinakhov, which sounds like their preference, at least at this stage of negotiations.
He'd be an intriguing pickup for a young Sabres squad starting to show some real signs of progress early in the 2025-26 season, though.