Egor Chinakhov isn't one to keep his feelings hidden. He was pretty open about wanting out of Columbus, being very open that it was largely over "misunderstandings" with then-coach Dean Evason.

Chinakhov, who is a restricted free agent this summer, is just as sure about what he wants now.

"Oh, I want to come back as soon as I can," Chinakhov told me on Thursday. "For sure. It's a great place to play here."

I asked Chinakhov what makes Pittsburgh so great, and he gestured around the locker room and said, "everything."

"The guys who play here," he said. "The city. I love just running around here with my wife. It's everything."

Chinakhov, of course, has seen a real boost in his play since the trade. After scoring three goals and three assists in 29 games with the Blue Jackets to start the season, he's racked up eight goals and four assists in 18 games with the Penguins. That's a big part of why he wants to stay in Pittsburgh, and he credits Dan Muse with helping him find his game again.

"I feel the trust from him," Chinakhov said. "If you have one mistake, you still just go out there and play another way and play a good game. He gives me chances to play."

Is that different from what Chinakhov had in Columbus?

"Oh yeah," he said. "For sure."

MORE PENGUINS

• When Sidney Crosby got hurt in the Olympics on Wednesday, it was while the Penguins were on the ice for practice. Players didn't find out until they were off the ice and in the locker room, and their immediate reactions were generally gasps, "No!" or swears we can't print here. I shared the news with one of them, and his immediate reaction was, "Was it (Radko) Gudas?" It was! -- Taylor Haase

• Evgeni Malkin hasn't made himself available to speak since the break ended, he's been getting out of the locker room pretty fast. That's not exactly unusual for him, but it does feel as if he's making himself available less often this season. He's been asked about his future every time he's spoken, and it seems like he's getting a little tired of it. -- Taylor Haase

• Zero indication in these practices that Malkin's shoulder is bothering him at all. He's not doing weird things like holding his stick with one hand too often, or shying away from contact drills. He's even been doing pushups when his team loses drills, though him skipping out on pushups was never about the shoulder. He's been fighting pushups for years. -- Taylor Haase

• I spoke with someone in Vancouver who worked with Arturs Silovs, and he provided a little insight into just the mindset that some players -- goalies specifically -- can develop as they come up through the ranks in a crazy market like that. He said that if someone has a particular weakness -- say, shootouts with Silovs -- there can be a reluctance to dive into specifics as to why publicly with the media, because there's a worry that then the media could latch on to that and harp on it and turn it into a narrative. That's been my experience with Silovs, at least. I remember talking with him about shootouts and what in particular was the issue, and he acknowledged there being an issue, said that he and the coaches have identified it, and they're working on it, but he didn't want to say publicly what it was -- Taylor Haase

• Saw a couple of people concerned that Dan Muse didn't have more direct knowledge of Crosby's injury situation. Just some insight into how that all works -- even with injuries during the NHL season, Muse doesn't bother with getting into specifics himself unless it's an immediate concern. Say, if a guy is only skating on his own for the first time, he might not even always be aware. Whatever Crosby is dealing with in Milan, they'll deal with it when they need to deal with it. Another reminder: Muse doesn't need to figure things out himself. The Penguins' GM is extremely close with Canada's director of player personnel. It's almost like they're the same person. -- Taylor Haase

PIRATES

• Kristopher Negron was coming off an emotional ending to the 2025 season with the Mariners, one that ended with a Game 7 loss to the Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series, when he got two separate unexpected phone calls. 

One came from Don Kelly. The other was from Ben Cherington. Both conversations surrounded the possibility of Negron, who spent the last four years as a base coach with the Mariners, joining the Pirates as their new bench coach. 

“I looked at my wife and I was like, ‘oh, this is not what I was expecting,’ especially so quickly after the end of the season,” Negron told me. “I had really good conversations with them both, just about the idea of the bench coach position and just about baseball, family. It was a very personal call, and it just felt really good.” -- José Negron in Bradenton, Fla.

• Negron has some ties to Cherington, considering he was drafted by the Red Sox in 2006. But he said he had never met Kelly before, despite being familiar with his playing career and knowing who he was. When they talked, Negron described the conversation to me as “just talking to a friend, somebody I was already close with.” That made the process, and the decision to move on from Seattle, much easier. 

“Just going into the unknown, it’s not anything I've ever really done,” Negron said. “But having that conversation with him right out of the gate, it definitely helped me out a ton.” -- José Negron

• Negron told me major-league managerial aspirations have never been a huge thing on his mind, but he admits there’s always an end goal. He said he believes there should always be growth, regardless of the position someone is in. But it hasn’t crossed his mind. He said his sole focus is where he’s at right now. 

“In order for me to be committed to the organization, the role that I'm brought to do, like that stuff will take care of itself,” Negron said. “It's not overly on my mind and I don’t think about it very often. If it happens, it happens. But in order for me to help the organization, help Pittsburgh get to where we want to go, it's not about me. It's all about everybody else in that room, helping everybody grow and putting them in the best position to keep winning. That's the sole focus.” -- José Negron

• Joey Bart told me he worked this offseason to improve defensively, all while tightening things up with his swing. He wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel in his training, but he emphasized being “more efficient” offensively. 

“The season lingers on and you break down, especially as a catcher,” Bart said. “I just tried to take away excess movement and tried to be as efficient to the ball as I can. Hit the ball where I want to hit it.” -- José Negron

• A.J. Burnett walked down the hallway in the Pirates’ clubhouse on Sunday, stopped, backtracked and looked right in the direction of Konnor Griffin. Burnett glanced up at the nameplate adorned at the top of his locker, looked back at him and said, “So you’re Konnor Griffin.” The two, smiling from ear to ear, shook hands and had the briefest of interactions, but it was a cool thing to observe considering what Burnett did for the franchise and what Griffin could do for it in the future. -- José Negron

STEELERS

• Things remain pretty quiet on the Steelers' side of things, as they usually are this time of year. But as Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy prepare for their first offseason together in Pittsburgh, it's important to know, of all their potential options at quarterback, why Aaron Rodgers is wanted back for another season in Pittsburgh.

Before I get going, as far as I know, it's not Rodgers or bust. Yes, they want Rodgers back, but as I reported last week, Malik Willis is on their radar, too. 

As for why Rodgers is wanted back, some of the answers seem obvious, but were confirmed with me recently. Atop the list of priorities is how loved and respected he was in the locker room. To say he earned everyone's respect is way underselling it. Not only did Rodgers win over everybody in the locker room, but his professionalism and dedication was palpable and felt by everybody in the facility.

Simply put, as one source told me, they loved him. And there's been open communication between both sides since McCarthy was hired.

On top of having someone so respected in the locker room, they believe there's still enough there on the field, too. His arm is still very much alive. His experience of playing under McCarthy is viewed as a bonus, especially for getting everyone else better acclimated to a whole new system. They also like having a quarterback that has the freedom and smarts to do different things before the snap.

To reiterate, they aren't completely married to Rodgers. And, if he's not signed beforehand, I could potentially have a better idea of how long they're willing to wait things out for him in next week's Friday Insider. However, based off what I know right now, I do not expect anything close to what we witnessed last offseason. Meaning, if Rodgers is back in Pittsburgh for the 2026 season, he'll be on the team well before mandatory minicamp starts in June. From the team's perspective, they want their quarterback in place for as much of the offseason program as possible. -- Chris Halicke in Downtown

• It would be business as usual, but don't be surprised if any cuts happen prior to the Combine beginning next week. If there are players that the team decides pretty early on to cut, they usually do it early enough to give the player plenty of time to find a job elsewhere. This offseason's a little different because of the coaching changes, but that part of the operation remains the same. It just might be delayed a tad more than usual. -- Chris Halicke

• I'll have a better grasp on this next week when I get to Indianapolis for the Combine, but I expect the Steelers to at least kick the tires on Tyreek Hill. They've liked him for a long time, going back to the summer of 2024 when I first reported the team's interest in Hill and DK Metcalf (the Steelers traded for the latter the next offseason). That being said, the recent circus with George Pickens makes them a little more hesitant than they used to be about having players with baggage. So, I'm not thoroughly convinced Hill will actually sign with the Steelers. -- Chris Halicke

• One position I expect to look different in 2026: Inside linebacker. No, I don't know what that means just yet. But, whether it be through cuts, trades, signings or the draft, I expect there to be some turnover there. Remember, only Cole Holcomb is a free agent. Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson and Malik Harrison are all under contract for 2026. -- Chris Halicke

• The Combine is a huge event of the offseason. Not only is the entire football world there as the league prepares for the draft, but any potential trades that take place this offseason could have their roots started in Indianapolis. Khan will be a very busy individual. You probably won't see any actual signings or trades take place there, but that doesn't mean work won't be done that leads to something down the road. -- Chris Halicke