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The Columbus Blue Jackets missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season. Still, they made strides this year, moving from eighth in the Metropolitan Division in 2023-24 to fourth this past year. This year, the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs by just two points. The Blue Jackets are expected to be aggressive this offseason. Still, they have multiple pending free agents. One is restricted free agent Dmitri Voronkov, and we will look at the three best destinations for him this NHL offseason.
Voronkov was drafted with the 114th overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2019 NHL Draft. Voronkov would finish his contract with AK Bars Kazan in the KHL before signing an entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets ahead of the 2023-24 season. He would make his debut in the NHL that season, playing in 75 games, scoring 18 goals and adding 16 assists. This past year, he played in 73 games for Columbus. Voronkov would score 23 goals and add 24 assists. That would place him sixth on the team in points. Further, he led the team in power play goals with eight, while adding three power play assists.
Voronkov played on both the second and third lines this year for the Blue Jackets, while also seeing time on the second power-play unit. He will also be turning just 25 years old this offseason. We will now explore the best options for Voronkov this offseason.
Dmitri Voronkov returns to Blue Jackets
The best decision for both the Blue Jackets and Voronkov may be for him to stay in Columbus. First, the Blue Jackets are expected to have almost $43 million in cap space according to Cap Wages. Second, Voronkov is expected to have a cap hit between $4.3 and $6.2 million, depending on the length of his new contract. Still, even on the top end of the projections, the Blue Jackets will have plenty of cap space. The Jackets could re-sign all of their free agents and still project to have over $14 million in cap space. This means they could add another part to pair with Voronkov and see potentially even better production.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets have a young core to build around. Kirill Marchenko is the start of that group, and he will be 25 this season. Further, Kent Johnson, Cole Sillinger, and Yegor Chinakhov will all be 25 or younger in 2025-26. Keeping Voronkov keeps this young core together. Finally, advanced statistics suggest that Voronkov took a bigger step forward this year than his numbers show. Both his expected goal percentage and his chances created factor went up markedly compared to his first season in Columbus.
The Bruins add another scoring threat
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The Bruins are expected to be active in free agency after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. First, the Bruins are projected to have over $27 million in cap space this offseason, and just three unrestricted free agents. They do have eight restricted free agents, but they can bring all of them back with room to spare under the cap. Further, the Bruins' top line is set. They have David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha under contract on the top line, with Morgan Geekie as a restricted free agent.
Still, the Bruins need help in the form of middle six forwards. Voronkov primarily played center this past year, but can also play left wing. The second line center was Elias Lindholm, who scored 17 goals and added 30 assists this past season. Voronkov would give similar production, allowing the Bruins to move Lindholm to the third line or one of the wings. Still, Voronkov would be a major upgrade over Marat Khusnutdinov at left wing. Khusnutdinov moved into that second-line left-wing role at the end of the year. In 18 games with the Bruins, he had three goals and two assists. Overall, he played in 75 total games, having just 12 points between the two teams.
The Mammoth make a move for the winger
The Utah Hockey Club became the Utah Mammoth this offseason, and could be looking to make a splash this offseason. Utah finished the season with 89 points, which placed them just seven points behind the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference playoff race. A piece like Voronkov could help them bridge that gap. First, they have the salary cap space to make this move work. They are projected to have over $21 million in cap space this offseason. Logan Cooley is eligible for a new contract this offseason and could command over $6 million of that space, but star forwards Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther are both under contract for years to come.
Further, Utah has the draft capital to make this work. If Voronkov is signed to a contract between $4.68 and $7.02 million AAV, Utah would need to send a first and third-round draft pick to the Blue Jackets as compensation. That would deplete some draft capital in the first round. Regardless, the Mammoth have three second-round and two third-round picks in the 2026 NHL draft. Adding Voronkov would most likely need Nick Schmaltz to move to the right side, where he did play some this year. Still, a second line of Schmaltz, Barrett Hayton, and Voronkov would be difficult for any team to face.
