Columbus Blue Jackets News

During an interview with popular Russian website Sovietskiy Sport Nikita Filatov, currently playing for CSKA and who recently got a call from Russian national team, talked about his future, about NHL players' participation to the Olympics and about the upcoming season.

Nikita Filatov: "I am determined to return to the NHL next year. Surely the salaries are better in the KHL, but overseas the level of play is higher. I'll try to make the first team in the NHL. And I'll try getting on the roster for the World Championships too.

I don't really think that NHL players won't come to Sochi for the 2014 Olympic Games. The best players in the world want to play there. And no one can force them out."

Nikita Filatov had an interview with eurosport.ru website in which he talked about his return, his opinion about his path towards the NHL and about his future.
RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation of the most interesting questions and answers.

Nikita Filatov, who was loaned to CSKA Moscow by the Columbus Blue Jackets, keeps on doing great in the KHL. He played 4 games so far and amassed 8 points, scoring 4 goals and giving 4 assists. Filatov also managed to set a new KHL record, scoring 3 game-winning goals in 3 matches in a row.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation of his interview published by Sovetskiy Sport, which he gave after yesterday's game against Spartak.

- One can see that now you are playing as if you had wings on your back. Is it because you don't have to focus so much on defence in CSKA as you had to in Columbus?
- Yes, it is. But I wouldn't say that I spend all my time in the offensive zone, I don't forget about the defence too. The defence was the only thing I had been thinking about in the NHL for 1.5 years...

- But nevertheless you intend to return to the NHL next year. What can CSKA do to make you stay?
- The one thing I'm not thinking about right now is where I will spend next year. But I wouldn't exclude the possibility of staying in CSKA.

A few days before Filatov wrote in his conference on allhockey.ru, answering if there was a chance of him staying in Russia after this season:

I highly doubt it. But Ken Hitchkok can really help it.

In this translated interview with Telekanal Sport by Vladimir Italyantsev, Barry Melrose, former NHL head coach and now TSN analyst, talks about Filatov's career in the NHL, about the reasons of his return in Russia and tried shading a light over Nikita's future.

Nikita Filatov had one goal and two assists in his first KHL game played against Traktor Chelyabinsk. In this interview with allhockey.ru correspondent Olesya Usova, the young player talked about the impressions felt in his debut with CSKA, about his new line mates and also about his experience with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Nikita Filatov, who was loaned to CSKA by Columbus Blue Jackets, scored game-winning goal and added 2 assists to help his CSKA defeat Traktor 4-1 in his first game in the KHL.

Filatov got team's second best time on ice among forwards - 16:40 (Denis Parshin was first with 18:27).

CSKA's head coach Sergei Nemchinov noticed that Filatov is a bit out of condition but added that he would get accustomed soon and start playing even better.