The NY Islanders may have a second opportunity to acquire a Metro Division rival

When the NY Islanders traded Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens for Emil Heineman and two first-round picks, the deal was reportedly one of two Mathieu Darche was contemplating. The other was from the Columbus Blue Jackets, with one of the players reportedly involved being Dmitri Voronkov.

The opportunity to acquire Voronkov may be possible once again, with Pierre LeBrun reporting that the Blue Jackets are fielding calls on the Russian winger.

The 6’5” winger has been in and out of the Blue Jackets lineup this season, recording two assists in six games. Voronkov was rotating in and out of the Blue Jackets’ fourth line at practice today and will likely be scratched for the third time in four games for Saturday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Voronkov’s best season came in 2024-24, tallying 23 goals and 24 assists in 73 games. His production took a dip last season, scoring 17 goals and racking up 15 assists. Fast forward to this season, and he is averaging 11:44 of ice time in his six games, down five minutes from his 2024-25 season.

Voronkov has proven he can produce in the NHL, and perhaps a change of scenery is what he needs. The Islanders could use some size in their top-six, but likely wouldn’t be willing to give up much more than picks to acquire his services.

With Cal Ritchie out for 4-6 weeks and Mat Barzal’s timeline remaining a mystery, the Isles could take a flyer on a guy like Voronkov to bolster their offense.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow