The Dmitri Voronkov trade talk is picking up steam, and a new report from The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline suggests a move could come sooner rather than later.
That would mark a sharp turn for a player who has already spent four games as a healthy scratch this season despite some strong underlying numbers. Voronkov ranks third among Blue Jackets forwards in on-ice expected goals percentage at 52.5% and fourth in CORSI percentage at 54%, yet he has still found himself out of the lineup.
It’s a strange fit on paper, because Voronkov brings the kind of game many coaches usually want: big, dependable, low-event hockey. He also adds a net-front presence, soft hands and a knack for power-play goals. For a Blue Jackets team that could use exactly that sort of player, his current situation has become hard to square.
The concern now is that Columbus may be headed toward another sell-low move. Don Waddell already dealt Egor Chinakhov to the Pittsburgh Penguins last year for second- and third-round draft picks and winger Danton Heinen.
Those picks helped replace the ones he used to acquire Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken, though Marchment later left in free agency. Chinakhov then went on to score 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games with the Penguins before signing a three-year extension over the summer.
Voronkov’s case feels similar. He has outperformed the expectations many had when he arrived from Russia.
Instead of settling in as a bottom-six role player, he has spent most of his Blue Jackets career on the top two lines. Over the last three seasons combined, only Adam Fantilli, with 71, has scored more goals on the current roster than Voronkov’s 58.
He also leads the team in power-play goals over that span with 21.
That makes the reported trade direction even harder to understand. Portzline reported that Waddell is seeking a futures deal for Voronkov in order to create cap space. The question is why Columbus would choose that route now, especially in a season where the club should be trying to push toward a playoff spot.
The roster construction only adds to the confusion. If Voronkov is the kind of player who can chip in 20 goals for under $4 million against the cap, finding a replacement on the market would not be easy. Columbus already has plenty of low-event pieces, but not many with Voronkov’s scoring touch.
That leaves the Blue Jackets with a tough question about their own priorities. Why bring back Danton Heinen and add Ryan Lomberg?
Why re-sign Erik Gudbranson and bring in Carson Soucy? If Voronkov is the one being moved to make room, it would look like another promising player getting pushed out just as he’s entering his prime.
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