Report: Maple Leafs Floated Nick Robertson For Yegor Chinakhov Trade With Blue Jackets This Summer, File Still Remains Open
Friedman reports that Toronto and Columbus discussed a trade this summer.
The Toronto Maple Leafs reportedly attempted to trade Nick Robertson this summer and are still looking at their options.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs floated a trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets this summer, which would've seen Robertson on the way out and Yegor Chinakhov coming into the team.
Friedman writes that Columbus wasn't too interested in making that deal.
"Toronto is investigating options for Nick Robertson. At some point in the summer, they pitched a move for Yegor Chinakhov, but that wasn’t to the Blue Jackets’ liking. That file remains open in Columbus, however."
A one-for-one trade with those two players would've been a fascinating development. It would've been a good opportunity for two once highly-touted draft picks to get a fresh start with a new NHL club.
Chinakhov was the Blue Jackets' first-round (21st overall) pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He's played 178 NHL games with Columbus, scoring 34 goals and 38 assists over the span of five seasons. His best year came in 2023-24, when Chinakhov tallied 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) in 53 games.
The 24-year-old has appeared in three of the Blue Jackets' six games this season. He's in the final season of a two-year contract, which sees him paid $2.1 million annually, and will be a restricted free agent at the end of this year.
Robertson's situation has been one to watch since the summer of 2024, when he requested a trade from the Maple Leafs.
Toronto's second-round (53rd overall) pick in the 2019 NHL Draft remained with the club last season, scoring a career-high 15 goals in 69 games. He got into just three of Toronto's 13 playoff games last spring and had one goal and one assist in that span.
Robertson has appeared in all six of Toronto's games this season. The forward has one assist and is averaging 11:01 of ice time, the second-least amount on the Maple Leafs, ahead of only Steven Lorentz (9:24).
Robertson will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Friday when the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Buffalo Sabres. He and the Maple Leafs settled on a one-year, $1.825 million contract this summer after the RFA elected for arbitration.
In 163 NHL games with Toronto, Robertson has 32 goals and 25 assists for 57 points.
Red Sox, Jason Varitek Resolve Contract Situation For Next Season: Report
May 27, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox coach Jason Varitek watches third inning action against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
Jason Varitek has been a member of the Boston Red Sox organization since he was traded there as a catching prospect in 1997. Now a member of the coaching staff, that means 2026 will be his 30th season -- and it appears all potential roadblocks to Year 30 have been cleared away.
Varitek and the Red Sox hadn't come to terms on a new contract for the upcoming season, which was noteworthy because shortly after the current season ended in the wild-card round at the beginning of the month, most of the remainder of the coaching staff was confirmed to be returning.
The mystery appears to be over, though, as on Friday, Sean McAdam of MassLive reported that the Red Sox and Varitek were finalizing a multi-year deal that would keep him in Boston in his current position.
Varitek staying on in Boston
"Varitek’s contract as the team’s game-planning and run-prevention coach expired at the end of the season," McAdam wrote. "There had been speculation that Varitek might receive some interest as a managerial candidate elsewhere, but it appears that there were no requests to interview him.
"It’s unknown how long the new deal is for, though one industry source speculated that it would run through the 2027 season to alignwith manager Alex Cora’s deal."
Varitek retired after the 2011 season as a player, having served as the team's captain from 2005 onward and won two World Series titles. He then served in an advisory role in the front office from 2012 to 2018, and after a year where he didn't appear in the staff directory, he was first named to the coaching staff in 2020.
Red Sox starting catcher Carlos Narváez has been vocal about how much Varitek has helped his development, so no one is likely to be happier about the news of the former captain's return.
Boston's coaching staff appears just about set, as the only other noteworthy item was parting ways with assistant hitting coach Ben Rosenthal and bringing in John Soteropulos in his place.
