Penguins GM Kyle Dubas' trade for Egor Chinakhov pays off tenfold

 

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Egor Chinakhov in a trade this past December. The move was a fulfillment of a request Chinakhov made to Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell beforehand. 

Since Dec. 29th, Chinakhov has played 30 games for the Penguins, and scored 22 points (11-11) as a top-six forward playing alongside fellow Russian forward, Evgenii Malkin, and center Tommy Novak. 

A stark contrast to his time in Columbus, where he was arguably underutilized, scratched, and buried in the lineup by former coach Dean Evason. 

He had been working through an injury, which didn't help matters, as Evason pushed him down in the lineup, instead of playing to his skills as an offensive talent who can help on the power play. 

Thanks to GM Kyle Dubas, the Penguins have helped turn his career around and have given the 21st overall pick in 2020 a real shot at contributing to his new team's success. 

The Athletic's Jesse Marshall commented on the forward's explosive performance in Pittsburgh after his arrival. 

Egor Chinakov went from “wow he cost a lot to acquire hope it’s worth it” to “wow maybe we ripped them off” faster than any penguin in recent memory

— Jesse Marshall (@jmarshfof) March 21, 2026

Top-Six Skill At A Bargain Bin Price 

In 29 games before his arrival, he languished with the Blue Jackets, scoring 6 points (3-3), buried deep in the lineup with an old-school approach to coaching by Dean Evason. 

However, the Penguins hired Dan Muse as the coach to lead the team into the future and to help develop the incoming players who are set to replace the aging core progressively. 

Chinakhov was considered an unknown drafted in the first round of 2020 by GM Jarmo Keklainen, and showed plenty of potential in Columbus, which was squandered by each coach in progression. 

Now, after Kyle Dubas spent a second-round pick (2026),  a third-round pick (2027), and Danton Heinen, this could be considered highway robbery if Chinakhov grows into the kind of player that warranted a first-round pick. 

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