Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

88:22: A Bad Look for the Ottawa Senators Organization

December 12, 2011, 11:26 AM ET [ Comments]
Travis Yost
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Make sure to follow Travis on Twitter and Facebook!
--

Cryptic blog title? Only to those who haven't been following the Nikita Filatov situation closely enough.

Believe it or not, 88:22 is the total ice time skated by the twenty-one year old from Moscow, Russia during his brief tenure with the Ottawa Senators. Filatov was brought in via trade during the 2011 off-season, a enigmatic talent that never found any rhythm or fluidity in his game with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Sending over a third-round pick, Ottawa was expected to work with the Russian kid in the hopes of finally developing him to the point many thought he'd project to as the former sixth-overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Then, nothing happened. Literally nothing. Filatov's first brief run with the Ottawa Senators ended with a front office blast about lack of focus and work ethic, prompting an immediate demotion to the Binghamton Senators. When Filatov asked about potentially leaving to join the KHL, the organization put him on hold, and told him to continue working on his game.

During his second stint, Filatov went out of his way to try and become an impact player. Skating with obvious relentlessness, many thought he'd win over the coaching staff that allegedly grew tired of his work ethic issues the first time around.

Then, out of seemingly thin air, the coaching staff threw him into the press box for game after game, handing out undeserved ice time like candy to other forwards who really hadn't (haven't?) done much of anthing all season long.

After his second stint in the press box, what was announced Monday morning appeared inevitable - Nikita Filatov's stint with the Ottawa Senators was coming to a close.

Early Monday morning, it was reported by Slava Malamud that he'd be heading back to the KHL, with the Ottawa Senators retaining his rights in case he ever returned. Considering how he was treated here in Ottawa, I'd expect the chances of that happening being slim and none.

Over the past few weeks, I've been painted as a Nikita Filatov apologist, even if that couldn't be further from the truth. Filatov's game needed some serious work, but when I looked at the 'big picture' so to speak, the story simply failed to add up. The coaching staff's incredibly short fuse with Filatov was - quite frankly - bizarre, especially when you had other equally unproductive forwards being praised for their effort almost exhaustively.

On his own, you could very easily make the argument that Nikita Filatov wasn't deserving of major TOI. But, when you watch players like Bobby Butler - and plenty, plenty more - continue to skate shift after shift, the words emanating from any and every mouth in the Ottawa Senators organization never really added up.

What makes this an even tougher pill to swallow is that, as a whole, this organization has done a tremendous job at developing talent through their system. Already, we're seeing serious life from a rebuild many expected to last two to three full years. In just the first season, Ottawa's been competitive, and Paul MacLean's been downright stellar.

For whatever reason, that last tidbit has forced many to ignore this entire Nikita Filatov situation in the media. Am I going out of my way to talk about it? Perhaps. But, I'm always going to call a spade a spade, and if I don't, then I don't deserve to write for a major outlet like HockeyBuzz. This whole drama stunk to the high heavens at every turn, but many just simply justified it by pointing to the coaching staff's superior knowledge to that of writers, bloggers, and fans.

Undeniable. But to not question what we collectively see night in and night out? I'm sorry, that's not going to fly.

Was there behind the scenes stuff going on? It's possible, and considering what we do know, you almost have to believe it. There's no other way to justify Filatov's mistreatment at the NHL level, and I'll be absolutely floored if this is the last we've heard of this saga.

In the end, Ottawa sent away a third-round pick for a player they never really had any intent to work with or develop. If Ottawa seriously thought the acquisition of Nikita Filatov would be a steal in the sense that he'd jump right into a system and produce at a top-six level, they're kidding themselves.

But that wasn't the case. They knew this was going to take some serious time.

Apparently, that amount of time was just eighty-eight minutes, and twenty-two seconds.

--


Thanks for reading!
Join the Discussion: » Comments » Post New Comment
More from Travis Yost
» Wrapping Things Up
» Enforcer
» Random Thoughts
» Shot Coordinate Fun
» Any Room?