Canucks Predicted to Land Former First Round Pick

While the NHL offseason has massively slowed down in recent weeks, there have still been some big rumors flying around. One of the more recent ones includes young forward Yegor Chinakhov of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

There have been reports that Chinakhov had some disagreements with the Blue Jackets' head coach. This has led to all sorts of trade speculation around the young star, and has people around the league wondering if a deal could be coming.

Chinakhov is a former first-round draft pick of the Blue Jackets, and losing him would hurt the team. The forward scored seven goals and eight assists for Columbus this past season, but was limited to just 30 games played.

NHL writer Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report listed multiple potential landing spots for Chinakhov. One of them was the Vancouver Canucks, who make a lot of sense as a trade partner with the Blue Jackets.

"It's an eclectic mix the Canucks are working with their lineup and new coach Adam Foote will have his work cut out for him to figure out what the identity will be.

"Scorers? Elias Pettersson, Boeser, Garland and Kane are the ones. Adding Chinakhov to that mix broadens the lineup enough to give them a decent enough mix," Yerdon wrote.

Vancouver just barely missed the postseason last year, and the front office has been trying to upgrade the team. If they were to trade for Chinakhov, it could give this offense more of a push forward.

With the team retaining star Brock Boeser this offseason, the biggest issue is depth and scoring. Chinakhov could help fill the void for both problems, and landing him could help push this team more toward playoff contention.

This could be a solid late-offseason addition for the Canucks, and one that helps them return to the postseason.