It's not quite New Year's, but the Yegor Chinakhov situation has its resolution.
The Columbus Blue Jackets made their second trade of the month Monday, dealing the disgruntled forward to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In exchange, the Blue Jackets receive forward Danton Heinen and a pair of draft picks.
One of those is a second-round selection in 2026 that originally belonged to the St. Louis Blues, while the other is a third-rounder in 2027 that was originally property of the Washington Capitals.
Chinakhov has struggled this season, scoring three goals and adding three assists for just six points in a total of 29 games. He's been a healthy scratch several times this season, and even when he has played, it's been generally in a bottom-six role with the Blue Jackets, averaging a career low 10:18 of ice time per game.
The 24-year-old originally approached the organization over the summer with his desire to be traded, a move that was acknowledged by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell.
But Waddell was adamant that he wouldn't make a deal for the sake of simply making one.
“I will talk to teams. I will continue to talk to teams," Waddell said this summer.
"But him (going public with the request) isn’t going to change my thinking on it. I have to have the right value."
At the time, that value was assumed by many to be an NHL player coming back to Columbus. Last week's acquisition of Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for two draft picks — a fourth-round pick in 2026 and a second-round selection in 2027 — seemingly altered that strategy.
"This trade provides us with additional draft capital over the next two years and a good two-way player in Danton Heinen that will add to our organizational depth at the forward position," said Waddell, following the official trade announcement.
"With regards to Yegor, we believe a change of scenery was in the best interests of both he and the club, and we thank him for his contributions over the past five seasons."
Chinakhov, the 21st overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft, finishes his time with Columbus with 37 goals, 40 assists, and 77 total points in 204 career games with the club.
Heinen, a 6-foot-2, 30-year-old winger, has one goal and one assist in 13 games this season with the Penguins.
For his career, the native of Langley, British Columbia, has 97 goals and 146 assists (243 points) in 579 games with the Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, and the Penguins.
Heinen carries a $2.25 million cap hit and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
