It all started this past summer when Columbus Blue Jacket forward Yegor Chinakhov stated through his then agent’s X account that he had had some misunderstandings with Columbus head coach Dean Evason during the previous season, seeming to center on a lack of communication when Chinakhov returned from injury and found himself on the offense’s third line.

At that time, in an interview with The Atlantic, Columbus general manager Don Waddell acknowledged that Chinakhov “fell out of favor” with Evason. Waddell added that he would continue to engage in talks with other teams but that he was not going to trade Chinakhov just to trade him.

Well, that day has come. Waddell announced today that the Blue Jackets have acquired forward Danton Heinen, a second-round pick (St. Louis) in the 2026 NHL Draft, and 2027 third-round draft pick (Washington) from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Chinakhov. Heinen has been assigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.

“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.  “With regard 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.”

Heinen, 30, has registered 97 goals and 146 assists and a cumulative +29 plus/minus rating in 579 career NHL games with the Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, and Anaheim Ducks over the past 10 seasons.  This season, he has tallied 1-1-2 a in 13 games with Pittsburgh and 6-11-17 in 12 games with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The 6-2, 187-pound winger was selected by Boston in the fourth round, 116th overall, at the 2014 NHL Draft and made his league debut with the club during the 2016-17 season.

A native of Langley, British Columbia, Heinen has appeared in 48 career playoff games, totaling 6-7-13 and eight PIM, including a career-high 2-6-8 in 24 games in 2018-19 when he helped Boston advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Chinakhov, 24, was selected by Columbus in the first round, 21st overall, at the 2020 NHL Draft. He appeared in 204 games with the club over the past five seasons and registered 37-40-77, while averaging 13:28 time on ice. His best season was 2023-24 when he notched 16-13-29 in 53 contests. In 29 games this season, the Omsk, Russia native collected 3-3-6 and six PIM.