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Erik Karlsson weighs in on Kyle Dubas' move to acquire Yegor Chinakhov
Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson weighed in to give his true thoughts on what he thinks of Kyle Dubas acquiring Yegor Chinakhov from the Blue Jackets.
Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson acknowledged that he doesn't know Yegor Chinakhov very well, at least not yet, even though the forward came to his team on Monday in a trade.
Erik Karlsson reveals his impressions of Yegor Chinakhov
As of Tuesday morning, Karlsson stated that his impression of Chinakhov is just by reputation and that concrete in-game impressions will have to be delayed.
"It's going to be fun to see," Karlsson said. "Obviously, Kyle wouldn't make that move if he didn't think that it would be good for our team and help us out. Excited."
- Erik Karlsson
- Erik Karlsson
Chinakhov is going to be a healthy scratch Tuesday night when the Penguins play the Carolina Hurricanes at PPG Paints Arena.
Chinakhov's arrival in Western Pennsylvania was not until Tuesday, arriving around the time the Pens were wrapping up the morning skate at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.
It was an overnight flight from Ottawa, Ontario, where Columbus actually played the Senators on Monday. His equipment from Columbus was still with him. As for how Chinakhov will ultimately be featured in the lineup, that remains to be seen.
Why Yegor Chinakhov requested a trade out of Columbus
A 21st-round pick from Columbus back in 2020, Chinakhov had moments of brilliance but never truly found his groove in Columbus. Disagreeing with coach Dean Evason, he asked for a trade during the offseason.
He participated in 29 games, managing to score three goals and three assists, with his average playing time being a little over 10 minutes per match. He also had eight healthy scratch games.
Penguins coach Dan Muse was not ready to lay out what his specific role might be, and the president of hockey operations and GM Kyle Dubas has indicated that Chinakhov could fill a number of positions in the lineup.
In any event, he's a safe, high-reward option in Pittsburgh to see if a change of environment might allow him to reach his full potential.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 30 | 197 ANSWERS Erik Karlsson weighs in on Kyle Dubas' move to acquire Yegor Chinakhov Are you happy the Penguins acquired Yegor Chinakov? | ||
| Yes | 174 | 88.3 % |
| No | 23 | 11.7 % |
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