Mark Fayne cleared waivers, as expected, on Thursday afternoon and was sent to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Following the move, Edmonton recalled a defender from Bakersfield, Nikita Nikitin. We remember Nikitin for his terrible 2014-15 season and mediocre training camp this past fall, Oiler fans have never truly seen this player good.
That said, Nikitin has actually played quite well in the AHL so far this season. He’s taken a role in the Condors top-four defensively and has produced offense at a pretty solid clip. In 14 games, Nikitin has 1-8-9, including points in his last five games. He’s also served as a leader for the young defenders down on the farm, and coach Gerry Fleming has been singing his praises recently.
What Can He Bring?:
Nikita Nikitin is not going to come to Edmonton and provide top-four level play, at least I don’t think so. His footspeed is still an issue and his decision making is actually quite questionable. That said, he should be quite valuable in a depth role for the club. He’s good enough defensively to hold down the fort on the third-pairing, and he’s strong enough to play a physical game.
His strongest suit might be clearing the front of the net, and I suspect we see him do that quite a bit on the penalty kill during this recall. I’d also wager that we see Nikitin on the power-play. The thing with Edmonton is that they really don’t have a hard shot from the point to rely on. Nikitin, for all his faults, can provide that to Edmonton.
He won’t be a game changer, not even close, but a confident Nikitin could certainly provide Edmonton with some strong bottom-pairing play.
Why Nikitin?:
I think Nikita Nikitin was the guy recalled for two reasons. The first one is that he went to the AHL and performed quite well. He had a bad camp and was rightfully sent out because of it. The fact that he went to the minors and got his game to a level worthy of a recall says something. This is the team rewarding a player for his contributions in the AHL, it sends a message to the whole organization.
Secondly, this is to showcase the rearguard. Nikita Nikitin has, reportedly, generated interest from a few teams around the NHL. His strong AHL play has only sparked that interest further. This could be Edmonton letting Nikitin show he can still play at the NHL level, thus satisfying any team’s concerns in that regard.
Regardless of what happens with Nikitin trade wise, this is a well earned opportunity for the veteran, it’s a chance to reestablish himself as an NHL player. Whether or not he takes advantage of it, well that remains to be seen.
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