As per TSN the Oilers have been granted a negotiating window with Nikita Nikitin, Defenseman for the Columbus Blue Jackets. If Nikitin agrees to a contract then the deal will officially take place. Though the terms of the deal have yet to be announced formally by the club, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports this:
#CBJ get 5th-rd pick if #Oilers sign D Nikita Nikitin, likely No. 137 overall. That's originally CBJ pick, traded to EDM for Nick Schultz.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) June 20, 2014Since I value late round picks about the same as I do Coffee flavored Jelly Beans that would be more than a fair deal. I would happily give up a 5th round pick for a real live NHL Defenseman. Perhaps Nikitin isn’t afraid of the uncertainty that is the open market but there is obviously going to be a deal in place in Edmonton for him before July. I wouldn’t blame him if he opted for security considering in Columbus he has seen his role diminish and might be wondering what kind of offers he will get elsewhere. There is also the Howson factor. The Oilers Sr VP of Hockey Operations should have a very good understanding of what this player is all about and that familiarity can be an asset for the Oilers (and potentially a hinderance).
Nikita Nikitin went 66GP, 2-13-15 with the Blue Jackets playing 17:06 per night. Standing 6’4… and 223lbs he brings a solid frame to the table and could easily step into the top 6 of the club. His offense isn’t particularly great but it has been better in the past. His career high in points is 32 in 2011-2012. This past season he was a 2.1% shooter. He has actually been a decent volume shooter considering his role and minutes played. This past year he directed 95 on net which was 1 behind Petry who played in 14 more contests. The obvious question is durability. The 66 games he played this year are his career high in the NHL. For any team this should be cause for concern.
Possession-wise Nikitin was in the middle of the pack for the Columbus regulars. He posted a negative CorsiRel (-1.9%) and did last year too (-1.7%) but lead the Blue Jackets in 2011-2012 which just so happened to be his career year. That could be a little scary but some could take it to mean that he has indeed played well in the recent past. Nikitin’s ice time has been steadily dropping (also concerning) with CBJ but their Defense has had better options over that time. It is certainly possible that Nikitin could find himself with more ice-time in Edmonton and perhaps more offensively minded/competent players than David Savard and see his possession numbers flourish again.
The move costs nothing if he doesn’t want to sign in Edmonton and costs almost nothing if he decides to join the club. Unless he signs a 4+ year deal at a bloated price it’s hard to argue anything. The Oilers need to upgrade their Defense and Nikitin could do that if he’s taking a 4-5-6 spot. Most importantly, if he is an Oiler I think it makes the team more comfortable about telling Klefbom he needs more time in the AHL. If Klefbom comes into camp and outperforms a Nikitin or someone like him then you know he’s ready and you can rest assured knowing that the club did everything they could to make him earn his spot.
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