The hockey world saw the latest move in the Russia/NHL situation go down as promising 19 year old Nikita Filatov requested to be loaned to CSKA Moscow of the KHL for the rest of the season. The Blue Jackets agreed and a one-year loan was worked out between the two teams. What that means for the rest of the season is that Filatov will continue his growth and maturation as a player overseas. What that means for the long-term is up for speculation. And there’s plenty of that swirling around right now.
"Look how good I am! I should be getting more minutes...."
Unfortunately, there’s no way for me to even get into the hockey part of the debate without first going to the human aspect of the discussion. Imagine if the company you worked for recruited (and hired) a guy straight out of college that looked like he had all the potential in the world. From time to time, he would have flashes of brilliance that would remind you why your company paid him the big bucks and was so excited to have him on board. But at the same time, he’d have problems with the everyday tasks around the office that EVERYONE has to deal with. Maybe he doesn’t like answering the phone. Maybe he doesn’t like to do busy work. Whatever the case, there were a few things that he had to work on before he could be the asset the company hoped he would be.
Now imagine if, when your company decided on a training program for him, he decided that he wanted to go back to his out-of-state college because he thought that prepared him best for his future with your company. Even if he had the potential to be the BEST EMPLOYEE EVER, would that be even remotely acceptable? You know it wouldn’t be OK for anyone in your everyday life—and it’s not OK for Nikita Filatov either.
The major problem that Filatov has had while trying to adjust to North American hockey is the idea that every player on the ice has to play two-way hockey. Not only is it demanded of all players in the NHL, it’s expected under Ken Hitchcock in Columbus. Everyone from Rick Nash to Derick Brassard to JakubVoracek is expected to play on both ends of the rink or they won’t get ice time. Filatov has learned that the hard way as he’s already been a healthy scratch twice and struggles to get any kind of consistent ice time.
Dmitry Chesnokov has an insightful interview with Filatov as he answers some questions about the expectations in Columbus and his decision making process to go back to Russia for the rest of the year. Here’s what he had to say about Hitchcock and his growth thus far this season:
Chesnokov: “The Blue Jackets GM told the Columbus Dispatch “It’s just not happening as soon as we’d hoped.” What can you say about that?
Filatov: I think that I didn’t really have a chance. I scored two goals even though I didn’t play more than 8 minutes both times. We got scored against two times [when I was on the ice] even though our team is 28th in the league in goals conceded. And I also played with guys on the fourth line all the time. The game is very different. So, what can we talk about?Chesnokov: Why do you think you didn’t get a chance to play more and on different lines?
Filatov: I don’t even know. Probably Hitchcock just didn’t trust me.” –Dmitry Chesnokov interview with Nikita Filatov (Puck Daddy)
Let’s take a step back for some perspective. Coming into this season, Hitchcock has won 511 games, is 188 games over .500, had lead the Blue Jackets to their only playoff appearance in their existence, has been to the Finals twice and has won the Stanley Cup once. He’s one of 16 coaches to be behind the bench for over 1000 NHL games and will be an assistant coach for Team Canada in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Clearly, he knows what it takes to be successful in the NHL.
On the other hand, we have a guy that has played a grand total of 21 games in the NHL and has 6 goals. He still has yet to record an assist in those same 21 games. If you’re averaging less than .3 points per game, then you damn well better bring something else to the table. It’s only natural for a scorer to endure an adjustment period—but that transition usually produces growth in other parts of the game as well. Learning to backcheck, set up teammates and play solid in the defensive zone are subtleties that come with the maturation of a player. They’re not the things that will show up on a score sheet, but they’ll be the things that help earn the trust from a head coach and help the team win games. I don’t think Filatov “gets it.”
“Yes, of course I can play for him,” Filatov said. “But it wasn’t easy for me, the not playing, the not getting to play a lot of minutes. It’s new for me.” –Columbus Dispatch
When you look at the answers that Filatov provided, it SOUNDS like he’s trying to say the right things. I’ll give him that. We talk about how it’s ridiculous when players ask to be traded—so should we admire that he went to the KHL and the Blue Jackets still hold his rights? He did NOT ask for a trade and has repeatedly said that he is glad that Columbus drafted him. He says he likes the city, teammates and thinks that he can help them take the next step to the league’s elite.
"You see where I'm standing Nik? This is called the 'defensive-zone'. Say it with me..."
Another thing to remember: the reason that Columbus was willing to use the #6 overall pick on Filatov is because of his expressed commitment to play in North America PRE-draft. He was willing to come to North America, play in juniors or the AHL and develop into the type of player that he’d need to be if he wanted to thrive in the NHL. Before people start bashing him for being so quick to go back to Russia, remember that this is a guy that has already shown more commitment than some guys EVER show.
But if you read between the lines here, it certainly looks like this is a much longer scenario than simply the rest of THIS SEASON. The loan agreement calls for him to play the rest of the season in Moscow. He also is in the process of working out a contract with CSKA Moscow for the next 3 years. That doesn’t have any bearing on his contract or eligibility with the Blue Jackets, but it does show that CSKA would like to keep him around after the end of the season. After watching guys like Alexander Radulov and Nikolai Zherdev take their game to the KHL in their young, developmental years, don’t be surprised if Filatov’s stay is longer than the Blue Jackets would prefer.
There’s no doubt that this situation has the potential to be messy. Blue Jackets fans are upset because it looks like their high draft pick is giving up and going home. The organization has made it clear that they’re not happy with his progress and development in the NHL. And Filatov has made it clear—with both his words and now actions—that he’s not happy with how he’s being used in Columbus. Instead of working to make it right—he’s decided to leave. I don’t care what spin management and Filatov try to feed me; that should be the most worrisome aspect of this entire situation.
We’ll see how this works out in the end. But think about that employee that comes to work in your office. Until he takes a step back and does all the little things that are expected of him, he’s still only the guy that could be great. Some people never get it. Hopefully, Nikita will.
If you've been back this many times and aren't a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Even if our RSS feeds scare the hell you (because you don't quite understand RSS), we promise the email alerts aren't painful at all. Seriously, a money-back-guarantee-even-though-its-free kind of promise.
