The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that they have signed forward Yegor Chinakhov to a one-year, $800K extension for the 2023-24 season. In doing so, their former first-round pick of the 2020 NHL Draft has at least one more guaranteed season in Ohio.
A rookie last season, Chinakhov has played a total of 92 games for the Blue Jackets, scoring 11 goals and 16 assists. Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets and Chinakhov, the young forward was placed on injured reserve on December 20th of 2022, only to be taken off on February 27th of this year. Losing a couple of months at the beginning of his career will not be detrimental to his growth, but may be a cause for concern going forward for Columbus.
Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen touted the Columbus forward, saying, “Yegor has shown great improvement this season despite missing considerable time over the past few months due to injury. He is a talented player with a great work ethic and desire to improve, and we are very excited about his future with the Blue Jackets.”
Since his reinstatement from the injured reserve earlier this calendar year, Chinakhov has been playing for the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate Cleveland Monsters. In seven games so far this season, Chinakhov has put up three goals and five assists. Unfortunately, Chinakhov will not be able to see playoff time this season, as both Columbus and Cleveland will not make the postseason this year.