First-round pick Yegor Chinakhov signs with Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Yegor Chinakhov to a three-year entry level contract beginning in the  2020-21 season, GM Jarmo Kekalainen announced Sunday. Chinakhov was selected by the Blue Jackets in the first round, 21st overall, at the 2020 NHL Draft.

After winning the Gagarin Cup earlier this week, Chinakhov had a decision to make whether to re-sign in the KHL and continue his career in Russia, or join the Blue Jackets who drafted him last fall. When his KHL contract expired, the decision was made, and Chinakhov is coming to North America according to his agent Shumi Babaev. The Blue Jackets have not released any details, but the 20-year-old forward will be limited to his three-year entry-level contract.

As Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweets, it seems unlikely Chinakhov will be able to play before the end of this season because of the time it takes to secure a visa, but this is still a big step for the Blue Jackets as they look to turn the page on a disastrous campaign. 

In 32 games for Avangard Omsk during the regular season, Chinakhov recorded 10 goals and 17 points. Add in another five goals and seven points in the postseason and you have quite the strong campaign for a player who only turned 20 in February and was playing at the KHL level for the first time. Near the end of the playoffs, he was logging substantial minutes on the championship squad, even eclipsing veteran names such as Ilya Kovalchuk and Sergey Tolchinsky at times (though an illness kept him out of the clinching game).

Columbus has very few players actually signed for the 2021-22 campaign, meaning there could be plenty of opportunity in the organization should Chinakhov prove to be NHL ready. After such a disappointing season for Kekalainen’s team, change seems inevitable.