The Blue Jackets will have left winger Dmitri Voronkov in the lineup for the first time this season Friday against the Jets as he makes his return from an upper-body injury, head coach Dean Evason told reporters (including the team’s Jeff Svoboda). He’ll be activated from injured reserve, but with ample cap space and an open roster spot, no corresponding transaction is necessary.
Voronkov, 24, had his start to his sophomore NHL season delayed when he sustained the injury late in Columbus’ preseason schedule against the Penguins. The initial prognosis wasn’t good, but it quickly became apparent that Voronkov wouldn’t require surgery to address the issue and would be back in weeks, not months. He returned to practice late last week, so he’s had a bit of run-up before re-entering the lineup.
It’s a legitimately impactful bit of news for the Blue Jackets, who have won two in a row and are now in wild-card position early on with a 5-3-1 record through nine games. Their offense clicking at a top-10 rate with 3.89 goals per game has much to do with that, and Voronkov’s return should only help them in that regard. The 2019 fourth-round pick arrived in North America last season after spending the prior five years with Ak Bars Kazan of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. He made an immediate impact in a middle-six role, finishing fifth on the team in scoring with 34 points (18 G, 16 A) in 75 games. With Voronkov on the ice at even strength, Columbus controlled 50.4% of shot attempts and 52.2% of expected goals, considerably above team averages.
Evason said that his return will send late-offseason pickup Kevin Labanc to the press box. Signed to a one-year league-minimum pact after being released from his professional tryout with the Devils, the 28-year-old had points in four of his last five games and five assists in seven games overall with a +3 rating. Nonetheless, it’ll be his third healthy scratch of the young season.
Voronkov is a pending restricted free agent. He’s in the final season of his entry-level contract, which earned him a $92.5K signing bonus over the summer and pays him a base salary of $832.5K this season for a cap hit of $925K. He’ll be eligible for arbitration.
