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.

Report: Prospect Filatov Calling for Change in Columbus

According to several media outlets in Columbus, Ohio and tsn.ca, Columbus Blue Jackets prospect left wing Nikita Filatov has expressed dissatisfaction with his NHL club and believes that changes should be made. He feels that if changes are not made, then he will not return to the Blue Jackets. The comments were made while Filatov was playing for Team Russia at the World Junior Hockey Championships. It is believed that he is unhappy with Blue Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock. Filatov played in only 13 games this season, scoring two goals, before he was loaned to CSKA Moscow of the KHL for the rest of 2009-10 season back in November. In 21 career NHL games over parts of two seasons with the Blue Jackets, he has six goals. These are pretty strong words coming from a player who has very little NHL experience. While it is true that Filatov did not get a lot of playing time when he was with the Blue Jackets earlier in the season, he did not play particularly well when he was given the chance. Yes, the Blue Jackets are struggling right now and a few changes might have to be made to try to pull out of their slump, but I find the comments a little inappropriate coming from a struggling player playing on a struggling team. Instead of bashing his team for their lackluster play, Filatov should be working on improving his game so he can help make the Blue Jackets more competitive next season. If he continues to criticize the team, it may not sit well with team management, which could lead to his eventual departure via trade if his comments become too much of a distraction.