Senators Acquire Nikita Filatov from Blue Jackets

The Ottawa Senators announced on Saturday that they have acquired left wing Nikita Filatov from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a third round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft. The Blue Jackets used the pick to select center Thomas Tynan. In 23 games last season with Columbus, Filatov had seven assists. He also appeared in 36 games with Springfield of the AHL, scoring nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points. He has one more year left on his current contract. This is a good low-risk move for the Senators, as Filatov has a lot of untapped offensive potential despite being extremely disappointing thus far in his career. If he doesn't pan out in Ottawa, the Senators don't have much to lose except giving up a third round pick. If he can better his offensive game, the Senators will have a very dynamic winger to help in their rebuild. As for Columbus, it comes as no surprise they moved Filatov given his offensive struggles at the NHL level so far. With the recent acquisition of Jeff Carter, it appears the Blue Jackets want to start a new era on offense.