Filatov

[bigs_biggie]

CSKA is officially out of the playoffs, the series finished 3-0. Why not have Filatov join the team. If they want to trade him, play him.

[PrairieDog]

And I took Filatov over Doughty a couple years ago!!! GRRR

Glad I'm not the only one...

[Dakkster]

Considering how off the mark THN usually is, I don't put much stock into that mag. It's a bathroom rag.

[Powerslave]

Glad I'm not the only one...

same here!!

[Atomic Wedgy]

Filatov over Doughty a couple years ago!!! GRRR

That pick was a no brainer a couple years ago. No one that knows what they are doing would have gone for Doughty over Filatov. Dont beat yourself up.

But there is one thing to learn from it. There is risk in taking prospects and every single one of them is a gamble of some sort.

[Colorjazz]

CSKA is officially out of the playoffs, the series finished 3-0. Why not have Filatov join the team. If they want to trade him, play him.

I'w wondering the same thing... Can he come back? Does he want to?

[elTIGREblanc]

Considering how off the mark THN usually is, I don't put much stock into that mag. It's a bathroom rag.

That is exactly where I read my THN!

I must say it's worth every penny in that setting...

[Sovereign]

CBJ had a case of the inmates running the assylum.

Filatov became a major point of contention, but the bottom line is the team got punch-drunk over the playoff performance last year, and no one anticipated a d-first team of Hitch's to fall off the map defensively the way they did. Mason went from Hero to Zero and cost a lot of managers a lot of points in the standings waiting for him/them to turn it around.

That being said a team being led by a goal-scoring machine stopped from leaving 2nd gear is not going to cut it, especially with no help. It didn't work for Minny with Gaborik. With Hitch gone CBJ has played little better from a 22-27-9 team to 6-6 since he left. So a bad team rising to .500 is a start but it goes beyond Hitchcock, and anyone thinking that Filatov will all of a sudden make this team a contender again is in need of a reality check.

Filatov was perhaps the top offensive talent in the draft, some said better than Tavares all-around. But everyone can't be a Crosby or Ovi, and Filatov isn't even rated as high as Nash was. Not to mention this year was suppose to be a step forward, not a rebuilding year, where you make a rookie a top-liner. Not to mention JT hasn't lived up to his billing either.

I get that the focus should be on fantasy impact and not real-world hockey, because like accounting, it's the numbers on paper that count. But Filatov simply did not get the numbers. Some guys just don't translate to the bigger league. Don't get me wrong, I wanted the leafs to draft him over Schenn being T.O. centered, And I hope Filatov is a star, but like Brunnstrom, I think the hype/expectation is almost impossible to live up to. It seems that anything short of a 30-30 season would be a disappointment. Objections may be that he did not get the ice-time etc. But lots of guys with a lot lower expectations produce with the little ice-time and earn more. Colorado is making a play-off run out a whole squad of those guys. And the very skeptically and surprisingly successful Coyotes are based around the fact that finally this year they decided to send the under-whelming prospects back to the AHL to develop and played the guys who are earning it.

Filatov should be good, but his not being rostered is not the only reason the team is doing bad, and if he is rostered next year, will most likely not be the only reason they may turn things around. Although, I doubt logic will dictate what story is actually attributed to any success they may have with him on the team. They can't really go wrong by trying him. The worst that could happen is a Brunnstrom-like year, and they deal him.

If Filatov continues his point streak to the end of the season with a few more multi-point efforts, then I will consider drinking the cool-aid, but the Olympics just proved that the KHL is not the NHL by way of Russia's very under-whelming performance throughout the tournament.

[Crispy Water]

Objections may be that he did not get the ice-time etc. But lots of guys with a lot lower expectations produce with the little ice-time and earn more. Colorado is making a play-off run out a whole squad of those guys.

I agree with some of what you said and see where you're coming from, but as someone who follows both COL and CBJ closely I can't let this slide. Filatov got an average of 8:06 TOI this season before leaving - of all the young forwards being cited as key to the Avalanche turnaround this season, Brandon Yip is the only one not getting at least twice that much ice time. Not only that, they're getting time with other scorers. It's still incredible what those players are doing, but none of them are being handled in the fashion Hitch played Filatov:

Galiardi - 17:58
Jones - 17:55
Duchene - 17:31
O'Reilly - 16:40
Stewart - 16:22
Yip - 14:15

It makes sense that Filatov got frustrated as hell - the one thing he appeared able to do at the NHL level is put pucks past goalies, yet he was often being played with guys like Blunden, MacKenzie, Dorsett...I love Matt Duchene as much as the next guy, but he wouldn't be a Calder candidate if he were playing ten minutes a night with Durno and Hendricks.

Don't forget Filatov scored a hat trick in 10:00 of ice time and then got demoted two games later - I understand the contract implications but still, how many 18 year old boys would not take that personally? I can't deny he has been pouting, but this was one of the most blatant examples I've ever seen of a coach trying to dominate a player.

[Colt.45Orr]

Filatov was perhaps the top offensive talent in the draft, some said better than Tavares all-around. But everyone can't be a Crosby or Ovi, and Filatov isn't even rated as high as Nash was. Not to mention this year was suppose to be a step forward, not a rebuilding year, where you make a rookie a top-liner. Not to mention JT hasn't lived up to his billing either.

Uh, different drafts dude.

[Sovereign]

Uh, different drafts dude.

Apologies. Of Course. I was thinking Stamkos, but just like with Filatov, I got my head all wrapped around the Tavares hype from this year.

I can only hope both Tavares and Filatov have 2nd years/attempts as successful as Stamkos.

[Sovereign]

I agree with some of what you said and see where you're coming from, but as someone who follows both COL and CBJ closely I can't let this slide. Filatov got an average of 8:06 TOI this season before leaving - of all the young forwards being cited as key to the Avalanche turnaround this season, Brandon Yip is the only one not getting at least twice that much ice time. Not only that, they're getting time with other scorers. It's still incredible what those players are doing, but none of them are being handled in the fashion Hitch played Filatov:

Galiardi - 17:58
Jones - 17:55
Duchene - 17:31
O'Reilly - 16:40
Stewart - 16:22
Yip - 14:15

It makes sense that Filatov got frustrated as hell - the one thing he appeared able to do at the NHL level is put pucks past goalies, yet he was often being played with guys like Blunden, MacKenzie, Dorsett...I love Matt Duchene as much as the next guy, but he wouldn't be a Calder candidate if he were playing ten minutes a night with Durno and Hendricks.

Don't forget Filatov scored a hat trick in 10:00 of ice time and then got demoted two games later - I understand the contract implications but still, how many 18 year old boys would not take that personally? I can't deny he has been pouting, but this was one of the most blatant examples I've ever seen of a coach trying to dominate a player.

I have had two errors so I will not reply a third time.