Nikita Filatov's days of misery with the Columbus Blue Jackets are over -- for now.

His Russian agent said the following this morning to SovSport:

"[Blue Jackets Coach Ken] Hitchcock sticks to defensive hockey, and Nikita prefers more of an offensive game. It is a conflict of interest. Filatov is unhappy that he gets very little ice time."

I reached Nikita this afternoon asking for comments on the story that he was leaving for CSKA Moscow of the KHL, which has since been confirmed by the Columbus Dispatch and the team. Here's what he had to say:

Q. When did you start talking to the CBJ management about going back to Russia?

FILATOV: It was a few days ago. At the end of last week I told them that I want to come back.

When did you tell your agent of your plans?

I told him after about four games into the season. He told me that I shouldn't rush, and that I should wait to play in at least 10 games. As he told me, this is because anything could happen and change.

What are the main reasons of your decision?

There is only one reason. I think this is better for my development to go back and play in Russia. There are more opportunities there to develop as a player and to really compete. At least at this time. CSKA can give me more right now than Columbus, to whom I am thankful. And all I need is to get playing time.

(UPDATE: Filatov responds to some comments by his GM at the end of the post.)

Read More »

It's not strange to witness political summits in Washington, D.C., and there was another one on Wednesday night when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and KHL President Alexander Medvedev discussed the complicated and often bitter relationship between the two professional leagues.

The duo and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly also watched the Washington Capitals' game against the New York Islanders together.

I spoke with Bettman before and after the meeting, and with Medvedev after the meeting, which he had requested. The topics ranged from player transfer agreements to potential superstar defections to whether Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals will play in Russia against KHL clubs. Plus, an interesting conversation about Russians owning NHL teams.

First, here's Bettman prior to their meeting:

Q. How would you characterize the relationship between the KHL and the NHL?

BETTMAN: I think on a personal and professional level it's open and cordial. But we, for a variety of reasons, haven't been able to come to common ground on some fundamental issues.

How important is it to come to an agreement in light of player contract issues?

I think it starts with player contract issues. I think that if we're going to look forward and look for ways to cooperate, the KHL and the Russian Hockey Federation, from our standpoint, are going to need to respect our valid contracts. That's something to date hasn't happened, starting back to the Radulov contract.

Alexander Medvedev said it's a two way street, and there have been some contract [issues with] their players.

The KHL has alleged that repeatedly. In no instances the IIHF or the courts have found that to be the case. The fact is that we do respect contracts, and have done so consistently. And the KHL has not.

Read More »

(Ed. Note: What We Learned will return next Monday, as Lambert has been felled by the pig virus.)

Ever since his comeback was announced, there have been two questions about former Colorado Avalanche star Peter Forsberg: Is he healthy enough to play professional hockey and, if so, where would he play this season?

Swedish National team coach Bengt Gustafsson watched Forsberg at the Karjala Cup in Finland, where the Swedes suffered a 7-0 loss to the host team.

"He is in good shape. But he is missing his tempo. He hasn't played a lot of games. It is one of his biggest problems," Gustafsson told SovSport. "There is nothing at all wrong with him physically. He needs games and games tempo, intensity. That's the problem right now."

As for where he'll play, Gustafsson said the key to Foppa's Olympic prospects for 2010 in Vancouver isn't where he plays but how often: "He needs games and to find his play rhythm. Wherever he plays he will get it for sure. I just hope he feels like he wants to keep going, and finds that."

But where does Forsberg want to play? How does he feel the rehab from his foot surgery has progressed? Pavel Lysenkov of SovSport captured the star center's words over the weekend about the injury, the Olympics and, most of all, rumors that he was bound for Russia:

Q. There are a lot of rumors in Russia that you're coming to either Salavat Yulaef or Ak Bars.

FORSBERG: You know, I haven't really thought about where I am going to play. I am going to take these games [at Karjala Cup] and see after that. I don't even know if I am going to play or not. I keep all my options open. I haven't closed anything. I want to make sure I am able to play first. And then decide where I am going to play.

Read More »

(Update 6:45 p.m. EST: The Capitals have released a statement regarding the interview below: "The Washington Capitals dispute the validity of this report.")

Injured Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin was watching Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers with Mike Green (also injured) in one of the rooms of the Verizon Center the press box.

He later met with some young fans outside of the locker room to sign some autographs. That's when I got the chance to ask him a few questions about his "upper body injury" and his journey back from it.

Keep in mind Ovechkin didn't indicate if the following "diagnosis" was from team doctors or his own evaluation.

Q. You're in good mood. Are you getting better?

OVECHKIN: I am better. But I will miss 4-5 weeks.

Are you serious?

I actually plan on starting practice on the ice next week.

I know that you did skate already.

Yes, but after I did that the doctors told me not to do that yet. And not to have a stick in my hands.

Read More »

Michael Nylander, as all of us know now, has been assigned to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins for a conditioning stint. As Greg Wyshynski pointed out, minor league conditioning lasts a maximum of two weeks, so this move would also appear to put a timetable on Nylander's departure from the Capitals.

If the Washington Capitals are in the final stages of moving the Swede to another team, we have to agree that there are only two leagues in the world that can afford Nylander's salary -- the NHL and the KHL. Rumors from the KHL about Nylander started flying across the ocean in the summer, when Avangard Omsk admitted trying to sign him, and even Jaromir Jagr confessed that Nylander called him to discuss life in the KHL.

I don't have any new information from the KHL about the Swede and teams looking at the possibility of acquiring his services. Figuring out where Nylander will end up is like taking the Multistate Bar Exam -- you are looking for the best possible answer, and not exactly the right answer.

Therefore, in order to get to the best answer, I will start eliminating the not so good ones.

Read More »

Many remember Vladislav Tretiak as a legendary goaltender: Winning three Olympic gold medals and a silver, while becoming the first Russian player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989.

He may also be a part of future Russian hockey glory as well.

Tretiak, 57, was named the general manager for the Russian Olympic hockey team.

"My main responsibility is to create the right conditions for team selection and to create the right conditions for the work of our team in Vancouver," he said.

"It includes pretty much everything: logistics, lodging, the team. Everything that depends on the Russian Hockey Federation, of which I am also President, I will oversee. It will be done in conjunction with the coaches."

I spoke with Tretiak about his plans for Team Russia in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games; negotiations between the NHL and Russia on a transfer agreement; the potential for NHL players to not participate in the 2014 Sochi Games; and his loyalty to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Q. Are you going to handle the actual team selection for the Olympic Games?

TRETIAK: This is the coaches' job. I will only deal with it if they ask. I plan on traveling [to North America] to speak to our goaltenders. I will speak with any other player who the coaches haven't spoken to. I am ready for this. But as far as team selection, the coaches will do that. I will also be the goaltending coach for the national team in Vancouver.

General Manager is the same position everywhere. He is the head of the delegation.

You mentioned that you plan on going to North America to speak with players.

I do plan on going there. Right now I am looking at the options as to when to come. I need to meet with [San Jose Sharks goalie] Evgeni Nabokov, other goaltenders. We'll see. It is in my plans. Let's see what happens in the future.

Read More »

A lot has been written about Sergei Kostitsyn lately, as the Montreal Canadiens sent the 22-year-old winger to AHL Hamilton, he refused to report and was suspended by the team.

Kostitsyn, however, hasn't said much about the situation. I spoke with him yesterday about it, and asked him about what he believes is his future in the NHL.

"I think I will be traded. I am going to wait until the end of the week, and then we'll see," he said. "I was told I would be traded, and that is what I am hoping for. I am not thinking about anything else."

Coming up, Sergei Kostitsyn talks about the factors behind his demotion to the AHL; how he and his agent handled the stunning news; and whether or not last year's media scandal involving him and his brother Andrei Kostitsyn had anything to do with it.

Q. At the end of a season coaches usually have meetings with players to talk about future plans. Did you have one at the end of last season? And what did the coach tell you?

S. KOSTITSYN: No, I didn't have such a meeting. I had a surgery and it just didn't happen. Moreover, we didn't even have a coach at the end of last season because [Guy] Carbonneau was let go, and we had Bob Gainey behind the bench.

What is your relationship like with Bob Gainey? Did you have a meeting with him before the start of this season to discuss what expectations he had for you?

We have a good working relationship with him. Well, we met a few times during the summer when I came to Montreal for the surgery and to check on my shoulder, the coach told me: 'Get ready. We have a spot for you. You will play.' And I got ready.

You were told you'd definitely have a spot?

Well, I wasn't told I'd be on the first or second line, but I was told that there was a spot on the team for me and that I should get ready for the season. This is how it was.

And then you were informed that you'd be sent to the AHL.

Yes. And I can't understand why.

Read More »

Pittsburgh Penguins Coach Dan Bylsma was one of the best stories in hockey last season: The minor league coach who turned his team's fortunes around, led them to the Stanley Cup and introduced the world to lucky burritos.

I spoke with Bylsma recently about the pressure of winning back-to-back Stanley Cups; the competition between Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and whether it's healthy for the team; whether NHL players should compete in the Olympics; and coming to terms with being a champion.

Q. What are your main concerns right now when you're trying to win back-to-back Stanley Cups as a coach?

BYLSMA: I think there is history that says teams have a hard time getting focused; teams aren't as motivated or there is some hangover -- a Stanley Cup hangover. But I think each situation is unique.

I think you don't want to talk too much about the past. If you're improving, if you're getting better you want to look back and say that we're getting better, and that this is a process and this is a new year. A lot of coaches have a standpoint where they look back and say 'We've won.' They are worried about that kind of focus. For our team with our young players, a lot of our players think they are going to be better in the future. I think their best years are ahead of them. And they have goals that they want to achieve. And that means that they have to get better.

While we did win the Stanley Cup, we are trying to focus on the future. With the group that we have, two of our harder battlers in [in the preseason are] Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And that says a lot about where they are headed as individuals. They are the guys driving our team.

As a coach, do you see a competition between Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin? Is this healthy for the team?

I think you do see that. And I think it's been a healthy one.

Read More »

Staring across from him at a ping-pong table, it was clear that beating Evgeni Malkin in an athletic competition would have made for a great story.

Except he's good. Really, really good. I lost. It was embarrassing.

The Pittsburgh Penguins star is preparing to defend the Art Ross Trophy and, more importantly, the Stanley Cup after a postseason that saw him win the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP -- and saw his parents become celebrities in their own right.

Malkin recently said they were back in Russia, attempting to get the paperwork to bring his dog to the U.S. He told me it's a Dogue de Bordeaux, which is a huge dog that weighs roughly more than two Nicole Richies.

The topic of his parents' sudden stardom came up as I interviewed Malkin on a bench near his house in Sewickley, Pa. So did winning the Cup, Internet photos of private celebrations, the Penguins vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, Petr Sykora's unceremonious departure from the team, awkward moments with President Obama ... as well as what he's driving and what he's drinking these days.

But we also talked about one of the most important issues for any Russian playing in the NHL: The chance that the League won't allow him to represent his country in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Like his countryman Alexander Ovechkin, Malkin said he's ready to face fines or suspensions from the NHL for that honor -- and it doesn't sound like he's going to back down.

Read More »

As we reported yesterday, former New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets winger Nikolai Zherdev has signed with Atlant of the KHL, and is expected to make his debut for the club on Sept. 21 against Amur. Atlant is waiting for a transfer card from the IIHF.

(For the trivia fans: He will wear No. 13 on his back.)

My colleague Pavel Lysenkov spoke with Nik about his big move, and Zherdev had some candid revelations about his negotiations with the Rangers and why he didn't end up signing with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Q. Why did you sign a contract with Atlant?

ZHERDEV: I signed with Atlant because I couldn't agree on terms with the Atlanta Thrashers. The negotiation reached a dead end. I had to wait for some time. But there was no time to wait. The season has already started. And I decided to spend this year in the KHL. I know my team very well. I played with a lot of guys at CSKA and in Mytischi. We will quickly find understanding [on the ice]. I also followed the KHL all the time, even when I was playing in America.

Read More »