The Columbus Blue Jackets splashed the cash in NHL Free Agency. The Blue Jackets spent big on Sean Monahan, signing the former Winnipeg Jets center to a five-year contract. They hope that the added veteran talent can help them make some strides this upcoming season.
It wasn't too long ago that the Blue Jackets competed for playoff spots in the Metropolitan Division. However, they have battled to try and stay out of the division basement in more recent times. In the last two seasons, those battles proved to be rather unsuccessful.
The Blue Jackets have an impressive group of players on their roster. Monahan joins former teammate Johnny Gaudreau, forward Boone Jenner, and defenseman Zach Werenski as the veteran stars. Players such as Adam Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko, and David Jiricek make up part of the youth movement.
Columbus is likely to lean on their youth in the season ahead. This begs the question of which younger players could step up and have a breakout season. Here are two potential Blue Jackets breakout candidates for the 2024-25 NHL season.
Dmitri Voronkov could improve further
Dmitri Voronkov made his debut during the 2023-24 NHL season. The former fourth-round pick received extended game time with Columbus as the team worked through its rebuild. However, after his rookie campaign, they may have a diamond in the rough on their roster.
Voronkov scored 18 goals and 34 points for Columbus this past season. He ranked fifth on the team in points, according to ESPN. Additionally, his 18 goals were the third-most from a Blue Jackets player. Only Kirill Marchenko and Booner Jenner had more goals in 2023-24.
Voronkov also had rather strong analytical numbers. He had a Goals For Percentage of 56.82%, according to Evolving Hockey. This was the second-highest mark among Columbus forwards. He also had the highest Corsi For Percentage (55.62%) and the highest Corsi For Per 60 Minutes (72.31) among Columbus forwards.
Voronkov earned the trust of his coaches this past season. He was one of seven players to play more than 1000 total minutes for Columbus. There are areas of his game that need some work. But if he can improve, Voronkov could be a key part of the Blue Jackets' future plans.
Yegor Chinakov is a Blue Jackets breakout candidate
Yegor Chinakov was a surprising first-round pick back in 2020. Some draft analysts even had a seventh-round grade on the Russian forward heading into the draft. However, he has proven thus far that he can be an NHL contributor. It's just a matter of how effective he can be at the next level.
Chinakov was on his way to answering that question in 2023-24. He scored 16 goals and 29 points through 53 games. Across an 82-game season, this pace works out to 24 goals and 45 points. Unfortunately, Chinakov had his season cut short due to injury.
Still, Chinakov had a positive impact on the Blue Jackets. He finished with the third-highest Goals For Percentage (53.25%), the fourth-highest Goals For Per 60 (3.55), and the fifth-highest Corsi For Percentage (53.73%) among Blue Jackets forwards, according to Evolving Hockey.
A healthy Chinakov could certainly improve upon these numbers in 2024-25. Especially if players like Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson also take a step forward. In any event, Chinakov could certainly prove to be one of the better Blue Jackets breakout candidates next season. And Columbus would certainly be in great shape if that came to pass.
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