Yegor Chinakhov has been another great acquisition for Penguins GM Kyle Dubas

Even without Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins hit the ground running after the Olympic break. With their 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, the Penguins now sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 72 points through 57 games.

For a team that was seen by many before the season as old, slow, and in desperate need of a rebuild, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has done a great job of adding talent to this roster despite working with an underwhelming pool of prospects. One way he’s done so is through shrewd trades, like the deal he made for winger Yegor Chinakhov earlier this season. Chinakhov, 25, is a former first-round pick that had been disgruntled and underperforming with the Columbus Blue Jackets. When the Penguins traded for him in late December, he had only three goals and three assists for six points in 29 games for Columbus this season. Since coming over to Pittsburgh, he has rediscovered his offensive game and been a major contributor for the surprising Penguins.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed the boon Chinakhov has been in Pittsburgh.

Tyler Yaremchuk: You mentioned Yegor Chinakhov. What a deal by Kyle Dubas. In 19 games since coming over from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chinakhov has nine goals and 13 points. He has been unbelievable. He’s shooting 21%, I don’t think this is a guy who’s going to shoot 21% for a long period of time, but even if he were to cool off a little bit, the Penguins seem to have found a 25-goal guy here in Chinakhov. It’s another nice piece of general manager work by Kyle Dubas, who continues to make good adds everywhere.

You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Wednesday’s episode here…