Latest news with #BlueJackets
Reuters
2 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Yegor Chinakhov's agent on trade request: ‘It's all about the coach'
July 19 - Yegor Chinakhov's agent doubled down on the notion that the Columbus Blue Jackets' coach, Dean Evason, is the reason the 24-year-old forward requested a trade. "(Chinakhov) is comfortable with this team. He's comfortable with this city," Shumi Babaev said, per The Athletic. "But he's not comfortable with this coach. It's all about the coach. "If you remember, (Chinakhov) started the season on the first line and he was fantastic. And then he's on the third line, and that's it. Third line. The coach doesn't tell him anything. Why? Why would you do this? It should be something that should be (explained) about why he did this." Chinakhov requested a trade from the team on Thursday, citing conflict with Evason in a statement released on social media by Babaev. "I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season. Now I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location," Chinakhov said in the statement posted on X. "Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here." Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell reacted to the request in an interview with The Athletic. Waddell acknowledged that Chinakhov "fell out of favor" with Evason. The general manager added that he will continue to engage in trade talks with other teams but is looking for value in return. "I'm not just going to trade him because you said to trade him," he told The Athletic. The Blue Jackets selected Chinakhov with the 21st overall selection of the 2020 NHL Draft. The past two seasons, a back injury limited the playing time of Chinakhov. In 2024-25, he posted 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 30 games. The previous season, he recorded 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) in 53 games. In 175 career games, he has 71 points (34 goals, 37 assists) and a minus-42 rating. Chinakhov has one season remaining on his contract before becoming a restricted free agent next summer. He will earn $2.1 million. Babaev did not appear hopeful about Chinakhov's chances of remaining in Ohio, telling The Athletic, "I don't think there's any way he can stay in Columbus. I don't see any way." --Field Level Media
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Where The Blue Jackets Stand With Their Own Free Agents
On Saturday, the Columbus Blue Jackets took care of a 6-foot-5, 227-pound piece of business. That business was signing Dmitri Voronkov to a very reasonable bridge deal for 2 years at $4.175 million per-season contract. The Big Boss is back.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
No way Yegor Chinakhov can stay in Columbus after trade request, agent says: ‘It's all about the coach'
COLUMBUS, Ohio — One day after Yegor Chinakhov's trade request was made public, the agent for the Columbus Blue Jackets' 24-year-old winger made it clear how they're thinking about the future. 'I don't think there's any way he can stay in Columbus,' Shumi Babaev said. 'I don't see any way.' The issue, Babaev insisted, is Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason, who, he said, did not communicate with Chinakhov at any point during last season — not when he went down with a back injury in late November, not when he returned to the lineup in early March, and not when he was a healthy scratch for most of the final month of the season. Advertisement '(Chinakhov) is comfortable with this team. He's comfortable with this city,' Babaev told The Athletic from Moscow. 'But he's not comfortable with this coach. It's all about the coach. 'If you remember, (Chinakhov) started the season on the first line and he was fantastic. And then he's on the third line, and that's it. Third line. The coach doesn't tell him anything. Why? Why would you do this? It should be something that should be (explained) about why he did this. 'I'm not saying how a coach should work. (I'm) just saying that for my player, it's not comfortable with the coach and (he feels like) the coach doesn't trust him.' Asked if the relationship between Evason and Chinakhov could be repaired — either with an offseason phone call, or a face-to-face meeting in Columbus ahead of training camp — Babaev didn't sound optimistic. 'During the season, he didn't tell him anything,' Babaev said. ''China' said he didn't talk (to) him (about) anything the whole season, he just always said the assistant coaches would tell him everything. You think in 365 days it didn't change anything, but you think it's going to change now? 'I don't think so. Some coaches like players; some coaches like other players.' Evason initially declined to comment when reached by The Athletic, allowing GM Don Waddell's comments on Thursday to speak for the club. But through a team spokesman, he indicated that there were, in fact, conversations between him and Chinkahov, as well as his assistant coaches and the player. Further, Evason said through the spokesman, 'The lines of communication are open, and they will continue to be open.' Chinakhov was arguably the Blue Jackets' best forward in the first month of the season, drawing considerable time on the No. 1 line with center Sean Monahan and right winger Kirill Marchenko. Advertisement When he went down with a back injury in late November, he had 7-7-14 in 21 games and was averaging 17 minutes, 1 second of ice time per game, the highest in his career. But the back injury knocked him out of the lineup for more than three months and was a source of much frustration for the club. It marked the fourth straight season that Chinakhov has missed considerable time with an injury. In four seasons, he's missed 121 games, mostly with back and ankle injuries. Chinakhov had a procedure done in Russia during the NHL's break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament and was able to return to the lineup on March 4. He played in only nine games the rest of the way, totaling 0-1-1 and a minus-8 rating, and playing just 12:42. When the Blue Jackets made a push toward the Stanley Cup playoffs — they won their final six games to finish two points out of the last playoff spot — Chinakhov was sitting as a healthy scratch. 'Any team in the NHL would say Chinny is a top-six player,' Babaev said. 'If (Evason) doesn't like him, then why not trade him. Why should you hold him? What's the reason? It's the best solution. 'China wants to play in the NHL. He wants to win. He wants to help the team. He wants to try his best. But if the coach doesn't like him, how can he do that?' Waddell said he's open to a trade, but only if he gets the right offer for Chinakhov. Otherwise, the expectation is that Chinakhov would arrive at training camp in September ready to compete and play. Babaev confirmed to The Athletic that Chinakhov will arrive on time to camp, and he said his back injury is 100 percent healed. 'It's not good that this (story) is coming to the media,' said Babaev, whose midday Thursday social media post alerted the hockey world to Chinakhov's interview with the Russian outlet Sports-Express, in which the trade request first landed. Advertisement 'Yegor just said what he thinks. He talked about his emotions, and that's fine. I've already talked to (Waddell). It was a good conversation. We both understand each other, and I understand Yegor is a very good player. It's not easy (for the Blue Jackets) to trade him. (Waddell) needs to get something for him.'
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov requests trade after misunderstandings with coach
Greg Cote joins The Dan Le Batard Show to discuss how Connor McDavid remains the only player in NHL history to compile nine straight 90-point seasons without winning a Stanley Cup. COLUMBUS, Ohio — Blue Jackets right wing Yegor Chinakhov, the No. 21 pick in the 2020 NHL draft, has requested a trade. Shumi Babaev, Chinakhov's agent, posted a statement from his client about his intentions on X on Thursday. 'I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season. Now I would be glad to have a trade,' Chinakhov said in the post. 'I would like to move to a different location. Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here.' Dean Evason was in his first season as Blue Jackets coach this past season. Columbus went 40-33-9 and finished two points out a wild-card spot. Babaev later posted that he has talked to the Blue Jackets front office about granting Chinakhov's request. Babaev added: 'I understand that Yegor's desire to be traded did not come out of nowhere.' The Russian forward has been plagued by injuries in his four NHL seasons, including missing 40 games last season due to back injury. He had seven goals and 15 points in 30 games. He has one season remaining on his contract. Chinakhov's best season was 2023-24, when he had 16 goals and 29 points in 53 games.
Mint
4 days ago
- Sport
- Mint
Yegor Chinakhov requests trade from Blue Jackets due to misunderstandings with coach; says ‘I would like to…'
Yegor Chinakhov, a former first-round pick for the Columbus Blue Jackets, has officially requested a trade. He has cited misunderstandings with head coach Dean Evason as the reason behind his decision. The 24-year-old forward's request was confirmed by the team on Thursday, following a public statement from his agent on social media. Drafted 21st overall in 2020, Yegor Chinakhov has been a part of over four NHL seasons. He has played in 175 games while missing 109 due to various injuries. Last season, a back injury sidelined him for 40 games, and even after returning on March 4, he was a healthy scratch for 12 of the final 17 games. His performance last season was modest, with seven goals, eight assists for 15 points in 30 games, and a minus-6 rating. Chinakhov's injury history has been a recurring theme. He has not played more than 53 games in a single season since his rookie year in 2021-22. Despite these setbacks, he has accumulated 34 goals and 37 assists in his career, with a career-high 16 goals and 13 assists in the 2023-24 season. A recent procedure during the 4 Nations Face-Off addressed his lingering back issues, and he entered the offseason with a clean bill of health, according to Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell. Yegor Chinakhov's trade request became public through a post on X by his agent, Shumi Babaev, who quoted the player directly: 'I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season. Now I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location. Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here.' General manager Don Waddell expressed surprise at Babaev's public approach but was unfazed by the trade request, noting prior discussions with Chinakhov's camp. 'I am surprised (agent Shumi Babaev) went public,' Waddell told The Athletic. 'But I am not surprised (about the trade request) because we have talked about it. He got back (from the back injury last season) and didn't play well, and (Chinakhov and Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason) fell out of favour.' 'I told (Babaev), he has value. I will talk to the teams. I have talked to teams. But I'm not just going to trade him because you said to trade him,' he added. He also dismissed any added urgency from Babaev's public post: 'I ignore it,' Waddell said. 'I will talk to teams. I will continue to talk to teams. But him (going public) isn't going to change my thinking on it. I have to have the right value.' Notably, Waddell expects Chinakhov, who is under contract for over $2 million, to attend training camp in two months if no trade is finalized. The Blue Jackets are reportedly seeking immediate roster help rather than future assets in any potential trade. For now, Chinakhov's future remains uncertain.
