On Monday, the Columbus Blue Jackets finally traded forward Yegor Chinakhov and it was a move that seemed like it was only a matter of time. The Blue Jackets former first round pick requested a trade before the season began and was averaging a career-low ice time per game at 10:18.
That ice time was only going to be cut into even more after the Blue Jackets traded with the Seattle Kraken for Mason Marchment. When Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted that Chinakhov had been traded for draft picks but didn't say where, the Buffalo Sabres seemed like a logical spot.
Chinakhov has a connection with the new general manager of the Buffalo Sabres, Jarmo Kekalainen, as he was the person who selected him in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft. At the time, Kekalainen was the general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The fit made sense as the Sabres could be looking to upgrade their Top 9 and Chinakhov has a great shot that would have helped these forwards. For all those reasons, it was surprising that he ultimately was not heading to Buffalo but to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Although after seeing what the Blue Jackets got in return, it was smart for Jarmo Kekalainen not to overpay and try to match.
Matching the Penguins' offer for Yegor Chinakhov would have been a disaster for the Buffalo Sabres
The Pittsburgh Penguins would end up sending two draft picks, a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, along with forward Danton Heinen. He is a veteran forward with 579 career NHL games and this will be his fifth NHL team he will play for.
While Chinakhov has great upside, this is a lot to give up for a player who really hasn't proven much at the NHL level. The best season in his career was in the 2023-24 season when he played in 53 games and had 16 goals and 13 assists.
However, over the past two seasons he has played in only 59 games combined and has 10 goals and 11 assists.
When considering the Sabres already are going to be without their second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, as that went along with Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline, moving more draft capital doesn't make a great deal of sense for an unproven prospect.
Jarmo Kekalalinen said he wanted to be aggressive this season but that doesn't mean overpaying. It is unknown if the Sabres were even considering trading for Yegor Chinakhov but if they were, the Sabres general manager showed good restraint to not try and outbid the Penguins.