Filatov has a big weekend in Bingo
If the Ottawa Senators want to find out whether or not Nikita Filatov is an NHL player or not, they might want to get him back to the NHL soon.
If the Ottawa Senators want to find out whether or not Nikita Filatov is an NHL player or not, they might want to get him back to the NHL soon.
Count me among those who found the decision to send the speedy Russian to the AHL after two games this season a little premature.
Filatov didn’t stand out in camp and apparently ran afoul of coach Paul MacLean in his short stint here, however, so he got another taste of life on the bus over the weekend.
Here are his numbers since:
Oct. 14 vs. Syracuse: 2 G, 1 A, +1, five shots
Oct. 15 at Wilkes-Barre: 0 G, 0 A, even, one shot
Oct. 16 at Albany: 1 G, 0 A, +2, four shots
The Senators are expected to struggle to score this season. After an unexpected offensive outburst in the first three games (12 goals), the team has been held to one goal in each of its last two contests.
Before people accuse me of arguing this kid is a panacea to currently fictional scoring woes, let me acknowledge that Filatov is an unproven asset who has never demonstrated he belongs in the big league full time. But he is also only 21 years old and three years removed from being selected sixth overall. But wouldn’t the Senators like to know sooner, rather than later, if he can play here?
Here’s our poll question for the day:
Loading ...So what do you think about the Senators’ handling of Filatov thus far? Leave your comments below.
Well I thought sending him down was stupid, though as long as the AHL stint is short it may be the best thing for him. I really hope they bring him back up to play against Columbus on saturday though, he’d have to be pretty motivated for that game, plus, after the play of the seemingly non-existant second line of Greening-DaCosta-Zibanejad against the Caps, the Sens are in need of Filatov to fill out a role on one of the scoring lines.
BM said that MacLean was not planning on using Filatov for the weekend, and he wanted Filatov playing. BM & PM both acknowledged that there were areas of Filatov’s game he needed to work on; specifically his compete level for the puck and his positional play. I have a hard time believing this is a permanent demotion. Much more likely I believe it is temporary until Zibanejad finishes his 9 game audition, then Filatov will be back with the big club to play w/ Spezza while Zibanejad develops for another year in the SEL.