Why did Dmitri Voronkov's role shrink for Columbus Blue Jackets?
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Dmitri Voronkov has played for three NHL head coaches since joining the Blue Jackets in 2023, and each had the same reaction to seeing him in full gear for the first time.
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Heads shook, shoulders hunched, eyes beamed and their smiles resembled those of kids set free in a candy shop, daydreaming as NHL coaches often do, about Voronkov's potential as a 6-foot-5, 230-pound unicorn on skates.
Standing in full gear, which adds roughly two inches and a few more pounds, the 26-year old Russian power forward can darken a hallway and light up expectations at the same time. It doesn't take much to see visions of Voronkov squishing people like bugs, pummeling them with Christmas ham fists or scoring 20-plus goals while making life a living hell for goalies.
That's about the extent of it, though.
What's happened in Voronkov's first four NHL seasons is that coaches start off excited to skate him in a top role before steadily reducing his ice time once they see that his physical dominance only shows up in fits and starts. And that's where things stand with Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness, who still hasn't seen Voronkov's full impact since taking over the bench from Dean Evason last season.
“He has to be physical, absolutely," Bowness said. "You don’t want him turning away from anybody. When he’s out there, his presence should be felt because he is a big man, right?”
Too often, it's not. Voronkov, a pending restricted free agent, too often skates with a cloak of invisibility. That must change whether he's playing for Bowness with the Blue Jackets or another NHL coach during a fresh start.
Going into the Blue Jackets' game against the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 3 at Nationwide Arena, Voronkov has played in just eight of 12 games without scoring a goal. His only points are off two assists, he's been replaced as a net-front option on power plays by Matthew Knies and Valeri Nichushkin and his ice time is down to 10:36 per game after a drop from the second line to the fourth.
Bowness is willing to let Voronkov work his way back up the lineup into a prominent role, but he'll be watched closely for specific traits the coaching staff needs to see.
“It’s being physical and [staying] at the same level the whole shift," Bowness said. "There can’t be a drop-off. That’s always been the concern. He goes hard. He’s got to be able to forecheck and backcheck at the same tempo, as opposed to forecheck and lose it on the backcheck."
Whether that's dictated more by Voronkov's physical fitness or his preferred style of play — skill over brawn — remains the biggest unknown in that regard. The most accurate answer might cover both options, which isn't an easy fix.
Voronkov has been told to improve his fitness the past three summers, and results have varied. The Jackets' pursuit of that goal remains a work-in-progress under strength-and-conditioning coach Barry Brennan and his assistant, Ryan Gadbois.
Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell is open to trading Voronkov for picks or prospects to free up salary-cap space by moving his $4.175 million salary. If so, it will be another frustrating outcome for the Blue Jackets with a promising Russian forward who topped or approached 20 goals in his first three seasons.
The frustration is also tied to a four year waiting period to sign Voronkov after selecting him in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Playing for Ak Bars Kazan in Russia's top league (KHL), he developed into a menacing two-way center who could score goals, deliver crushing hits and handle himself in fights.
Voronkov even led his team to the 2023 Gagarin Cup Finals before heading to Columbus to start his NHL career while joining Russian teammates Kirill Marchenko, Egor Chinakhov, Danill Tarasov and Ivan Provorov.
Things started off strong under former coach Pascal Vincent, who lasted just one season (2023-24) in that role. Voronkov tallied 18 goals and 16 assists as a rookie, playing 75 games, and boosted those numbers in 2024-25 to 23 goals, 24 assists and 47 points in Evason's first season.
He played predominantly at center with Marchenko and Chinakhov as wingers under Vincent, then shifted to left wing for Evason to play with center Sean Monahan and Marchenko on the top line. Each season, however, his usage and numbers declined as the NHL's grind progressed.
The same thing happened again in 2025-26, leading to Voronkov finishing with 17-15-32 that was largely compiled in the season's first half. Now he's off to a sluggish start.
"I think there’s more there," Bowness said. "He has scored a lot of goals on the power play. Net-front. Well, Knies is there now, and Val [Nichushkin] is there now, so he’s lost that opportunity. Give him credit. He’s been working really hard. I told him that he’s going to play this week. With three games in four nights, we’re going to get him in there and it’s going to be up to him to show that he can stay in there.”
If not, Voronkov may join Marchenko and Chinakhov as promising young forwards who are no longer Blue Jackets.
Dispatch Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why did Dmitri Voronkov's role shrink for Columbus Blue Jackets?