Blue Jackets activate former first-rounder from injured reserve

The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated winger Yegor Chinakhov off injured reserve and assigned him to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, according to a team release Wednesday.

Chinakhov, 22, sustained a back strain preseason that sidelined him for most of training camp and the first six games of 2022-23. Now healthy, he heads to Cleveland, where he’s only played eight games since coming to North America in 2021. They’ve gone quite well, however, as the 2020 first-round pick has four goals and five assists for nine points in those AHL contests.

The early-season injury likely cost Chinakhov a roster spot, given the team’s influx of young wingers. However, don’t expect him to stick in the minors for long – he notched a respectable 13 points in 30 games with the Blue Jackets last season and posted solid possession numbers relative to his teammates. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound winger will surely be ticketed for top-line minutes in the minors while on assignment.

Assigning Chinakhov directly to the minors also means the team is intent on giving another young Russian winger, Dmitri Voronkov, at least a brief look in the NHL. The Blue Jackets recalled Voronkov earlier in the week when they placed forward Patrik Laine on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, but he hasn’t yet suited up in what will be his first NHL game. That’s expected to change tomorrow against the Canadiens, as Kent Johnson will serve as a healthy scratch so Voronkov can enter the lineup. Voronkov, 23, has played exclusively in Russia up until this season and had no points in four games with AHL Cleveland to start 2023-24.

Chinakhov has not played an NHL game since Dec. 19, 2022, against Dallas, when he sustained an ankle injury on his first shift that sidelined him for the majority of 2022-23. After returning to health, Chinakhov finished out the season in Cleveland.