(UPDATE 8:54 AM)- Another twist in the Filatov saga. Filatov's agent has asked the CSKA team to work out a trade if they can't get the paperwork on a new contract by midnight. If they do not either sign or trade Filatov, he plans to return to Ottawa.
(UPDATE 1:41 PM)- According to Dmitry Chesnokov on Twitter, there has been a resolution on the Nikita Filatov issue. The Sens will receive the paper work on his KHL contract in the near future and Filatov is expected to play his first game over there on December 20th.
We all knew the Ottawa Senators had an interest in Kyle Turris.
Early on Saturday morning, I received a text telling me to keep an eye on the Kyle Turris situation. Right then I had a feeling something might get done but I can say with complete honesty I did not expect David Rundblad to be a part of a deal.
Rundblad has had an up and down start in his rookie campaign but all Sens fans were excited about the potential this guy had. Beginning with the incredible season Rundblad had in Sweden last year, both the Sens organization and fans of the hockey team were thrilled with what they saw in David Rundblad.
But the reality is, defensive depth is a strength for this organization. With Erik Karlsson already a star in this league, Jared Cowen seemingly ready to take his game to the next level, and a couple guys pushing for spots in the AHL, the organization determined that Rundblad was expendable. With Kuba and Gonchar ready to return to the line up, the belief is Rundblad was likely headed to the AHL anyway.
Even a day later I am surprised by this move but I'm beginning to understand to motivation behind it.
In Kyle Turris, the Senators get a player with an extremely high ceiling. A third overall pick in 2007, Turris hasn't been able to reach his potential in Phoenix. His relationship with that organization soured fairly quickly and it was clear Turris needed a fresh start. He will certainly get that in Ottawa.
It's important to note that Paul MacLean played a significant role in this deal. He was excited about the possibility of adding Turris and really liked what he could bring to the team's second line. I was told yesterday that MacLean was really pushing for this deal.
The most surprising element of this deal, for me anyway, is that the Sens had to include that 2nd round pick. But with so many teams interested in Turris, Sens GM Bryan Murray had to anti up to get a deal done.
While this trade caught a lot of Sens fans off guard, it is a deal that makes sense for this organization. They used an area of strength to address a perceived weakness in organizational depth. This deal makes the Senators better right now and could make them much better in the near future.
David Rundblad will be missed but in Kyle Turris the Sens grab a player that can be a difference maker for the Ottawa Senators. He is expected to be at Sens practice tomorrow morning.
- On a day where all the talk was about the trade, there was an interesting development related to Nikita Filatov. He was unable to reach a deal with the KHL team and has been reassigned to Binghamton of the AHL. He is not expected to report and will continue to work to get a deal done with the KHL team. This move was about the Sens getting Filatov off the roster here with the NHL team.
- As I'm sure you've all noticed, the website wasn't nearly as active as it should have been on such a busy day for the team. Had to attend a wedding out of town and only had a few moments to get a post up before I left. It's frustrating to put as much effort into this site as I have only to see a move like this go down when I wasn't available. With that said, I want to thank all of you for keeping things going in the comment section. The 300 plus comments in less than 24 hours is a SensChirp record!
