The Nikita Filatov saga took another turn today as the Ottawa Senators recalled him from AHL Binghamton.
Filatov - who gained interweb notoriety with Aaron Portzline’s “Filly don’t do rebounds” story -- will replace Stephane Da Costa in the Sens lineup.
Sportsnet’s Ian Mendes reports Filatov will play on one of Ottawa’s top two lines tonight versus Carolina, an interesting decision given what’s transpired recently. Filatov had threatened to return to the KHL rather than play out the year in Bingo, prompting Ottawa GM Bryan Murray to say the following:
“I told him when I put him down (to Binghamton), that by Nov. 30, I would have a meeting with him,” Murray told the Ottawa Citizen. “It would be (about whether) to come back and get another chance to play up here or I would consider - and that’s the big word, I would consider - allowing him to go back to the KHL.
“By Nov. 30, I will tell him he’s in Binghamton for the rest of the year or he’s in Ottawa for the rest of the year or a combination of the two or I would let him go back and play (in Russia). But it will be what we decide.”
So three days prior to the magical Nov. 30 deadline, Murray gives Filatov a shot to prove himself.
Check that -- another shot.
It looks like Filatov will play one of two spots against the ‘Canes. He’ll either be a first-line winger with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, or drop to the second unit and play alongside Daniel Alfredsson and Nick Foligno.
Whatever the case, there’ll be immediate pressure for him to replicate his success with Binghamton (7G-5A-12PTS in 15 games played.)
UPDATE: It’s Alfredsson-Foligno-Michalek, Filatov-Spezza-Greening.