Filatov

[agentzero]

I'm pretty sure the loan with CSKA is for the season, so no bring backs.

Yeah I think he's over there until next year.



And maybe more...........................?

[TML]

I thought the loan was only for a couple months. Can't reacall where I read it though

[Rooper]

I thought the loan was only for a couple months. Can't reacall where I read it though

Well the end of the KHL season is not that far away. Basically mid-February, although with the Olympic Break, it does carry over slightly into March. That's only the regular season.

[mscotch]

In my opinion, Filatov is NHL-ready. Hitchcock is a good coach for a veteran team but doesn't deal with young players well. I'd love to see him in a Habs jersey. If he were playing for Torterella in NY he'd probably be ripping it up on the PP with Gaborik and Del Zotto.

[ultrawhiteness]

ugh, the habs would be even worse for him. jacques martin plus rabid fans = me trading him immediately.

rangers, islanders, avs, hawks, oilers, thrashers, canes... these are destinations i could get behind.

[Seeds of Grapes]

ugh, the habs would be even worse for him. jacques martin plus rabid fans = me trading him immediately.

rangers, islanders, avs, hawks, oilers, thrashers, canes... these are destinations i could get behind.

Not sure about the Jaques Martin part (he is tough, but he ain't no HitchCOCK).

As for the rabid fans, myself being one of them, they will just as strongly support a quality player as they would boo an underachiever out of the building. Saku, for example, was adored by the Hab faithful, even though he never hit out of the park offensively. Conversely, Kovalev, who is (or was) infinitely more prolific than Koivu, was booed for not giving it his all.

I think the Habs faithful will stand behind Filatov. Not sure if Martin will, though.

[Colt.45Orr]

I've said it before and I'll say it again... Filatov is a perfect fit for the Leafs. They play an aggressive fore-checking style, and they are all about skating and pressure. The team needs a potential superstar. A face that everyone indentifies with the franchise... like they had with Wendel and Dougie, and then Mats.
Everyone talks about Burke not liking Filatov because he doesn't fit Burke's "trucluence" agenda. That is complete nonsense. Burke wants a tough and big team, but that's more about his defence and his bottom six forwards. His top 6 are all about producing offense... he won't care if Filatov isn't Getzlaf, as long as the kid produces. Look at Kessel for crying out loud... Burke just acquired him and Kessel is probably THE softest player in the NHL. I'm not knocking him - it's just not part of his game to be a physical player. He's a goal scorer. Nikita's a goal scorer. GO GET HIM BURKIE. And please consider including Schenn in the deal, if that's what it will take. Everyone knows Columbus had a hard-on for Schenn just before the Leafs drafted him.

I've always thought that Schenn is a perfect fit in the CBJ system, and the size obsession Hitchcock has.

Filatov is a perfect fit in the TO system, and the depth on D they have.

[sexymountain]

This is what is going to happen.
Filatov leads KHL in scoring.
Goes to WJC puts on a dominating performance and named MVP of tournament with Cody Hodgson out.
Replaces Alex Semin after another injury(breaks hand in second donkey Kong incident) on Russian Olympic team. Puts up solid numbers like 3 goals 3 assists in 6 games or something.
returns to North America. gets traded on trade deadline to Rangers for wade redden(with a 2nd round pick and i have no idea if jackets have cap room im just talkin outta my cock and ass)
Plays the lw of the lethal Gaborik Prospal combo and finishes the year on a point/game pace.
CLB fails to make the playoffs, hitchcock goes berserk punching rick nash in the face and i gets his ass deported to the middle of china and is never seen in the nhl again.


:inhales: much better :exhales:

[Powerslave]

This is what is going to happen.
Filatov leads KHL in scoring.
Goes to WJC puts on a dominating performance and named MVP of tournament with Cody Hodgson out.
Replaces Alex Semin after another injury(breaks hand in second donkey Kong incident) on Russian Olympic team. Puts up solid numbers like 3 goals 3 assists in 6 games or something.
returns to North America. gets traded on trade deadline to Rangers for wade redden(with a 2nd round pick and i have no idea if jackets have cap room im just talkin outta my cock and ass)
Plays the lw of the lethal Gaborik Prospal combo and finishes the year on a point/game pace.
CLB fails to make the playoffs, hitchcock goes berserk punching rick nash in the face and i gets his ass deported to the middle of china and is never seen in the nhl again.


:inhales: much better :exhales:

as an owner i'd like this situation

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

Filatov won't go to the Olympics

[Chico Resch]

A new Filatov article from The Globe.

Really (in my books) questions him playing next year in the NHL.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle1414659/

[Princeton]

A new Filatov article from The Globe.

Really (in my books) questions him playing next year in the NHL.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle1414659/

I couldn't get your link to work. What was the gist of the article?

[sparrowtrini]

Oops couldnt get in on that one. But searched and found article if others have trouble:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle1414677/

Thx for article Chico. I dunno though it didnt really make me feel any different about him. I still think he will.

Key expressions in that article include:

So, because he holds some cards, when Filatov was asked when he planned to return to the NHL, he gave a coy response.

"I hope I'll be back next year, but right now, it's really hard to say because it will again be a tough decision," he said. "I have to be sure if I'll be playing there. We'll see in the summertime."

You gotta believe he's gonna play next season. Columbus are not that stupid are they?
Hitchcock Id think would be more likely to be gone then him not coming back.

Last Monday, Filatov said much was lost in translation and "I can't say that he was shouting or yelling me in front of the guys or making me upset."

Here is where many got caught up in the translation and worried about the future. Filitov admits much of it was wrong.

As for other things such as his enjoying being back home....who wouldnt say that? Or his Russian teammates being amused with his transformation. He now blocks shots and back-checks - two areas that were absent from his game until Hitchcock got hold of him. Thats a winwin.
Whether He's proving to Hitch he can do it or trying to prove him wrong, the points been made - He has to do this to be a great player in the NHL. Call it Hitch psycology.

[sparrowtrini]

To make it easier heres the article:

Filatov finds a comfort zone

MATTHEW SEKERES

REGINA — From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Published on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009 12:00AM EST

Last updated on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009 2:04AM EST


.There will be international hockey tournaments on North American soil in the future, and we will surely see Nikita Filatov at some of those.

But in the near-term, you have to wonder if this is the last time the 19-year-old budding superstar will play on this continent. Filatov, Russia's world junior team captain, asked for - and received - a loan to the KHL this season, after much clashing with Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock.

He is a supremely gifted offensive player, and he proved it last Monday in a 2-0 victory over Finland. He threaded a pass through two defencemen, and several sticks and skates, to set up the opening goal. He scored the second one on a pinpoint slap shot.

But he won't be making any short lists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, given to the NHL's best defensive forward, any time soon. And, on Hitchcock's team, failure to play both end of the rink means limited minutes. By mid-November, after 13 games where he averaged eight minute of ice time, the Muscovite had had enough.

Filatov was lent to the CSKA of the KHL, his hometown club where he played junior hockey and developed into the sixth overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft. He has 14 points in 12 games.

The Russian club is paying his salary while the Blue Jackets retain his contractual rights through 2012, coupled with an agreement that he is to be returned after the European season ends this spring. General manager Scott Howson said that if Columbus is still playing at that time, Filatov may be back in the NHL team's lineup.

But there is also another scenario.

If Filatov wants to stay in Russia, the Blue Jackets have little recourse. They can demand he be returned, but they cannot go over and apprehend him.

So, because he holds some cards, when Filatov was asked when he planned to return to the NHL, he gave a coy response.

"I hope I'll be back next year, but right now, it's really hard to say because it will again be a tough decision," he said. "I have to be sure if I'll be playing there. We'll see in the summertime."

Asked if he could see himself playing for Hitchcock, Filatov said: "We'll see. We'll see. You never know."

Filatov said his Russian teammates have been amused with his transformation. He now blocks shots and back-checks - two areas that were absent from his game until Hitchcock got hold of him.

Though the relationship is uneasy, Filatov said it was not as bad as a recent characterization in a Russian news report. The story, which was translated into English and appeared on Yahoo.com, quoted Filatov as saying Hitchcock would single him out in practice and embarrass him in front of teammates. He is also quoted as saying that Hitchcock "didn't give me a chance" and "did not plan on trusting me."

Last Monday, Filatov said much was lost in translation and "I can't say that he was shouting or yelling me in front of the guys or making me upset."

But Filatov doesn't deny that life and hockey are more enjoyable in his homeland. He says he is improving because of the heavy workload, and is even maintaining his defensive progress. He says he still dreams of making it in North America, but he also considers the KHL an option for next season. He says the league has improved in all facets - competitiveness, arenas and facilities, team services - since he last played there in 2007-08.

"I'm really happy about being back," he said. "It's a real option for me, and I'm going to be thinking about it in the summer."

Meanwhile, back in Ohio, Howson is left wondering. He doesn't want to lose a high draft pick and terrific offensive talent for nothing, but he also must support his coach. Asked if Filatov and Hitchcock can co-exist, Howson paused for a second before answering.

"I think they can," he said. "They're both good at what they do, and they'll have to find a way to co-exist."

[TML]

lol, too bad there was no link. How much longer does this thread go?