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NHL Notebook: Penguins acquire Yegor Chinakhov from Blue Jackets for Danton Heinen, two picks
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Photo credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
Tyler Kuehl
Dec 29, 2025, 19:29 EST
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A team trying to stay in the Stanley Cup Playoff hunt is taking a notable swing.
On Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets. In exchange, the Blue Jackets received two draft picks and former Vancouver Canucks forward Danton Heinen.
Neither of the picks originally belonged to the Penguins. The first is a second-rounder in the 2026 NHL Draft, which came from the St. Louis Blues, while the other is a 2027 third-round selection from the Washington Capitals.
A trade involving Chinakhov seemed to be inevitable. The Russian winger had requested a last season, and later changed agents over the offseason. He has seemed to have fallen out of favour with the team, as, in 29 games this season, he has registered a career-low of 10:18 ice time per game. The 24-year-old has potted three goals and three assists for six points, registering a plus/minus of -6. This, after Chinakhov notched just seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 30 games during the 2024-25 campaign.
The former first-round pick is in the final season of his two-year contract that he signed in June 2024. The deal has a cap hit of $2.1 million, with Chinakhov set to be a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights.
In 204 career NHL games, all with the Blue Jackets, he has scored 37 goals and 40 assists for 77 points.
Heinen has appeared in 13 games with the Penguins this season, scoring a goal and an assist thus far. He has been up and down between Pittsburgh and its top farm team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 12 games in the AHL, the 30-year-old has posted six goals and 11 assists for 17 points.
Heinen was placed on waivers on Sunday, before clearing the wire before the trade.

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  • Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov was placed on injured reserve, with head coach Rod Brind’Amour revealing that the 26-year-old was undergoing surgery and would be out for the rest of the season. The Russian netminder missed the start of the season due to injury, but was able to return to play nine games, going 6-2-0 with a 2.33 GAA, a .899 SV% and one shutout.
  • Speaking of the Hurricanes, the team claimed forward Noah Philp off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. The U SPORTS star had been out of action since suffering an upper-body injury in mid-November. In 15 games, he had scored two goals and an assist for three points.
  • New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal was fined $5,000 for slashing Blue Jackets forward Mason Marchment. Barzal’s actions came in a game on Sunday in response to Marchment clipping Islanders star rookie, Matthew Schaefer.

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