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Wednesday, April 1, 2009

What's the Jackets angle on the Filatov recall?


In the "random thoughts" post from earlier this week I wondered if the Jackets would recall Filatov or Picard for a spark.

I figured that it would only happen if the Jackets continued to slump..... I have to say that after the Jackets big win last night I'm a bit surprised they called the kid up.

Here was Howson's reason from Puck-rakers:

"This will give Nikita an opportunity to experience the atmosphere and practice with the team.," general manager Scott Howson said. "He may or may not play."

Couple of comments here.

1. It seems kind of odd to me to pull this kid out of Syracuse where he's playing well to "may or may no" play the kid. Being around an NHL playoff push is nice but this kid needs to play and right now Syracuse is in a significant playoff push of their own and Filatov has been a big part of that.

As I read from someone else, the Crunch playoff push sure did wonders for Brassard.

Sryacuse's next game is Friday so perhaps they just want him to spend a couple of days with the big squad and then will return him for the Crunch's weekend games.

2. How does this impact his contract? Filatov has 8 games at the NHL level. If he plays 10 or more games he loses a year of his entry level contract. However if he plays less than 42 games (I think it's 42) he will not lose a year of RFA eligibility.

Howson has stated numerous times that Filatov's contract will not be an issue but for a guy who is very cautious of long term implications to any of his moves it makes zero sense at this stage, with the Jackets a near lock for the playoffs, to burn up that entry level year especially for a budget team like Columbus. Not when they are going to have to hand out 2nd contracts to a lot of young players (Brass, Mason, Russ, Voracek, etc) over the next couple of years.

3. Pure speculation on my part but perhaps there is something going on behind the scenes that we aren't privy too that prompted this recall. Maybe the Jackets want to keep a closer eye on the young Filatov? Maybe they want to make sure he get's that NHL exposure as to not be tempted to stay in the Russia/KHL next season? Perhaps they aren't happy with the way he's being handled in Sryacuse?

At this point I see no reason to suspect any of that as Filatov really does seem to have a solid head on his shoulders and knows what he wants which he's said over and over again is to play in the NHL. The Jackets also appear to have a great relationship with the Crunch but I wanted to throw that out there.

With the way guys like Brass, Mase, Dorsett, Boll, Russ and Voracek have developed under Howson's watch I think Filatov is in good hands and I'm sure their reasons are sound.

Congrats to Rick Nash for being named the NHL's 3rd star.

Also in other breaking news from Puck-rakres Denver star center Tyler Bozak will not be signing with the Blue Jackets. That would have been a nice little win for the Jackets but he decided to go in another direction.

-LTL

11 comments:

Wally said...

Brassard didn't have the opportunity to experience the playoff push in Cbus because there wasn't one 8-P

LTL said...

Actually I'm referring to his experience with Syracuse's playoff push.

I'll clarify that a bit better in the post.

-LTL

Barga said...

is it just me or does he look like Boll?

That said, mark him as a healthy scratch on saturday night, play him sunday (big game, give him some looks, show him what he gets if he stays), then bump him back down

LTL said...

Hitch made good point about the Filatov recall on his coach's show.

He said Filatov was up when a game was just a game at the beginning/middle of the year. He wants Filatov to see the intesity and the sacrafice it takes this time a year so when they ask him to train harder he will know why.

He said this time of year is why they play and they want him to see that.

Said it's a balancing act for the GM. The GM is responsible for looking after a player's career. He drafted him and he's responsible for his development.

Makes sense.

-LTL

Unknown said...

One other possiblity. The Jackets want him to be somewhat familiar with the faces on the ice should we lose somebody during the playoff run.

I agree it stinks for Syracuse, but at this point, I think the Jackets aren't in it to just make the 1st round and be done. They believe they can make some noise in the post season.

JAL said...

Just another possible view --

I'm not sure Hitch has been overly enamored of Dorsett's play of late, from a skill level, and much the same can be said of Boll and Murray. While you do not rely on these guys to be your big scorers, those lines have had some opportunities, if we just had a combination with which to work.

With Chimera near coming back, I think Hitch wants the capability to go to a smaller, quicker, more talented game in spots, particularly when we play teams like St. Louis. Having these guys around gives him lots more possibilities with various combinations.

Just a thought . . . but it will be fun to watch.

--JAL
A Shot From The Point

BZArcher said...

A lot of good theories and ideas here.

The other one I'll throw out there is this: Voracek really upped his game and seemed to find his gears on the 4th line last night, but he didn't have much to work with.

Imagine lining Nikki up with Jake and Novotny to help make some room...

I could see it as a combination for Sunday's game to help give someone a rest and see if Filatov's energy can spark the team on the back to back.

Anonymous said...

Are you sure that Chimera is ready to come back? And how effective will Chimera be when he is finally healthy? Boll is not 100% and there is no word today on his foot after blocking that shot.

And finally, there is Freddie Modin. I doubt if he can play at 100% throughout the (please forgive me) playoffs.

Barga said...

one has to wonder why Boll and his line played so differently sunday night. Maybe hitch told them he was bringing Filatov up and one of them was going to be on the bench for a game

http://blogcritics.org/archives/features/abcs_of_columbus_sports.php

Anonymous said...

Where it was once considered a fact that Hitch didn't trust young players the truth is coming out. He doesn't want them to get in over their heads & strives to bring them along at a pace that they can handle. Nikita is young & full of confidence, that needs to be tempered with the reality of the situation. He's likely chomping at the bit to play up here & we could use his skills provided he can handle the atmosphere. Hmmm...maybe put him on the power play to give the opposition a wild card to worry about? Give him a taste while showing him he likely hasn't reached the size or strength needed for the pressurized playoff season. Humble & hungry sure tops cocky & unprepared in my book. Maybe he shines under pressure...we'll see!!!

SoupDog said...

I think they want him to get into a good workout routine with Brennan, so he can build up his body. If I had my druthers, I would want him to spend the summer here, like Jake and Brass did last summer, and add those pounds of muscle to be prepared for a full season of NHL size and strength. It worked for Jake and Brass.