The agent of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov recently addressed his trade request after it was made public.
The post Yegor Chinakhov’s agent sounds off on Blue Jackets trade request appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are still working through their offseason as they prepare for the 2025-26 season. However, the team received a bit of a bombshell on Thursday. Forward Yegor Chinakhov officially requested a trade away from the team. More recently, his agent has explained why this trade request has come about.
Shumi Babaev, Chinakhov’s agent, spoke with The Athletic about the situation. At this time, Babaev does not feel as if this situation can be rectified. And the issue lies with one person: Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason.
“I don’t think there’s any way he can stay in Columbus,” Babaev said. “I don’t see any way. (Chinakhov) is comfortable with this team. He’s comfortable with this city. But he’s not comfortable with this coach. It’s all about the coach.”
Yegor Chinakhov’s agent details issues with Blue Jackets coach
Babaev went more in depth on the issues with Evason in his discussion with The Athletic. He pointed to Chinakhov’s usage throughout the season. And he lamented the lack of communication between Evason and Chinakhov over why he fell down the lineup.
“If you remember, (Chinakhov) started the season on the first line and he was fantastic. And then he’s on the third line, and that’s it. Third line. The coach doesn’t tell him anything. Why? Why would you do this? It should be something that should be (explained) about why he did this,” Babaev said, via The Athletic.
“I’m not saying how a coach should work. (I’m) just saying that for my player, it’s not comfortable with the coach and (he feels like) the coach doesn’t trust him.”
Chinakhov entered the 2024-25 season coming off a career season in which he scored 16 goals and 29 points. However, he was limited to just 30 games in 2024-25. He scored seven goals and 15 points in those 30 games while averaging a career high 15:43 time on ice. The Blue Jackets make their 2025-26 season debut on October 9th against the Nashville Predators.
Related: Former Blue Jackets 1st-round pick requests trade
Related: Columbus Blue Jackets 2025 NHL free agency grades for every signing
Category: Hockey
