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Oilers' Nikita Nikitin: Promoted from AHL
Nikitin was recalled by the Oilers on Monday, Jason Gregor of the Edmonton Journal reports.
Nikitin is essentially swapping places with defenseman Darnell Nurse, who was reassigned to AHl Bakersfield on Monday. Due to the Oilers' rash of blue-line injuries, the 29-year-old Russian should have a good chance of earning some playing time, possibly on the third defensive pairing alongside Adam Clendening. Nikitin has just one assists in eight games this season with Edmonton, so it would be wise to temper expectations.
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Oilers' Nikita Nikitin: Sent to Bakersfield
Nikitin was reassigned to AHL Bakersfield on Sunday.
Nikitin drew into Saturday's contest after being recalled Wednesday, but it appears the Oilers weren't exactly impressed with what they saw. As a result, the 29-year-old blueliner will return to the AHL affiliate in favor of Jordan Oesterle, who was recalled in a corresponding move. A borderline NHL player, Nikitin doesn't offer much appeal in terms of fantasy.
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Oilers' Nikita Nikitin: Promoted from AHL
Nikitin was recalled by the Oilers on Wednesday.
Edmonton's defensive corps has been decimated by injury of late, as Andrew Ference (hip), Oscar Klefbom (infection), and Eric Gryba (knee) are all currently dealing with long-term ailments. Nikitin will provide the Oilers with additional depth at defense, but won't be on many fantasy owners' radars, as he's only managed to tally a single assist and nine shots on goal in seven games with the big club this season.
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Oilers' Nikita Nikitin: Sent back to AHL
Nikitin was reassigned to AHL Bakersfield on Thursday.
Nikitin garnered a lone assist in seven games during this stretch in the NHL. In 14 games with the Condors this season, the 29-year-old has one goal and eight helpers.
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Oilers' Nikita Nikitin: Recalled Thursday
Nikitin was recalled from AHL Bakersfield by the Oilers on Thursday.
Nikitin was likely called up to give Edmonton some defensive depth while Andrew Ference recovers from injury. He totaled nine points in 14 contests with Bakersfield this season. The 29-year-old Russian played in 42 games with the Oilers last season, tallying 10 points.
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Blue Line Buzz: The Replacements
Brent Seabrook's ice time in two games since Duncan Keith's injury:
26:00, 23:19
Previous season high: 23:17 in season opener
Season average: 21:36Trevor van Riemsdyk in two games sans Keith: 22:34, 22:53
Previous season high: 19:49 on Oct. 15 vs. Washington
Season average: 18:29Morgan Rielly in two games since Jake Gardiner's injury: 25:07, 25:00
Previous season high: 23:28 on Oct. 16 vs. Columbus
Season average: 22:51So, in case you haven't noticed yet, Seabrook and van Riemsdyk are the two guys Joel Quenneville is relying on to take the majority of Keith's minutes, while Mike Babcock has tabbed Rielly for big minutes in Gardiner's absence. Both van Riemsdyk and Rielly are widely available in most leagues, making them intriguing waiver-wire options. Martin Marincin has drawn in for the Leafs and David Rundblad for the Blackhawks, but neither should make a huge impact; they continue to develop into more consistent performers.
Rielly owns more upside than TvR, but unfortunately plays for a much weaker team that will need him to play against the toughest competition. In Chicago, Quenneville can still use Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson to help shield van Riemsdyk, so he'll have the opportunity to draw heavy minutes against opposing teams' non-elite skaters.
After quite a few veteran defensemen (like Cody Franson) had to wait until September to find employment, a lot of teams are already looking for help on the back end following a crazy start to the season. So far, no solutions have really presented themselves; otherwise, Columbus would've made a trade already. It'll be interesting to monitor the situation as the season goes along, since teams out of playoff contention can start selling off their defensemen. Some of the names available may include Nikita Nikitin, John-Michael Liles, Luke Schenn and Niklas Grossmann.
They're not the most exciting group, but there's a chance one of them could step up and play better in the hopes of securing a better future.
Last week's top-five performers
P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov, MON: The Habs' top pair makes their second appearance in four weeks, and it looks like they'll be a mainstay in this section for most of the year. Combined stats this past week: a goal and five assists each, including five points total on the power play, a combined plus-7, 14 shots on goal, seven hits and nine blocked shots. If you missed out on Subban this year, but managed to get Markov, you're probably doing quite well.
Brent Seabrook, CHI: He's as cool as a cucumber, and with Keith out after knee surgery, Chicago's newest alternate captain is really stepping up. Three years ago, I predicted Seabrook would win his first Norris. Oops. He didn't come close, but he's often overlooked because of his star partner on defense. In Keith's absence, Seabrook's showing everyone exactly how good he is. He has four points in his past three games, all of them wins. Remember when people argued whether it was Ryan Suter who carried Shea Weber or vice versa? Yup, same debate here.
John Carlson, WAS: The Caps have won five in a row, and Carlson is now a legitimate star. After a breakout season last year, Carlson has taken over a defensive corps that had previously lacked leadership. He's on a five-game point streak with two goals and eight points in that span. If the Caps take a huge step forward this year -- i.e., make it past the second round of the playoffs -- Carlson will be a big reason.
Victor Hedman, TB: The best-kept secret in Tampa, Hedman helped the Lightning obtain five out of the possible six points this past week, the only loss coming in a 1-0 overtime loss against Chicago. Hedman should remind people a little bit of fellow Swede and retired superstar Nicklas Lidstrom, except with a bigger wingspan and a little more physicality. He makes good passes and good decisions all over the ice.
Jared Spurgeon, MIN: He has tallied two assists in his past two games, both wins. As far as offense from the blue line goes, Spurgeon is still the Wild's best choice until Matt Dumba really separates himself from the pack. When he scores, the team is usually playing well. Spurgeon's not as dynamic as Torey Krug, but there's some offense to be had and he regularly plays over 20 minutes for Mike Yeo.
Top five trending up
Colton Parayko, STL: He made the list last week, which means that after two solid weeks, owners should be looking to pick him up. The Blues lost two tough games to the Habs and Islanders, but that team is quite banged up right now - these early season injuries could cost them a division title, home-ice advantage and maybe even Ken Hitchcock's job. But Parayko's stock is soaring, as he's logged more than 22 minutes in each of the last two games, scoring two points in the process. The Flames and Ducks get all the talk about the West's deepest defense, but the Blues should get some love, too.
Ryan Murray, CLB: Has he arrived, finally? The second overall pick from the 2012 draft, the kid who
Charles Wangof the Islanders wanted so badly they were willing to trade all seven of their draft picks for him? The Jackets pulled off their first win Saturday, so maybe things are looking up, and with Murray registering three points in his past two games, maybe the biggest change between the Todd Richards era and John Tortorella era will be the emergence of a legitimate No. 1 defenseman.Brayden McNabb, LA: When Slava Voynov packed his bags and left, I gave my buddy a nudge and said this guy could step in and make a difference. Having watched him play a fair bit, I knew he had something to offer because of his booming shot (regularly over 100 mph), size and style. During the Kings' four-game winning streak, his ice time has creeped to over 20 minutes a night, as he's carving out a top-four role in Hollywood. McNabb never quite cracked the Sabres roster because he either didn't have enough experience or they didn't have space for him, but he certainly has the ability to play.
Damon Severson, NJ: It's no coincidence that the Devils have rattled off four straight wins with Severson playing well. He was on his way to a breakout season last year before injuries derailed it, but already has three points in six games to start the new campaign. The Devils are looking like a streaky team that could go on a hot run, mostly thanks to Cory Schneider, late in the season.
Mark Giordano, CGY: Not like he's ever really bad, but with four points in his last two games, the Flames' captain is scoring again after a slow start. You probably expected something like that, though, with a player who missed a chunk of time due to injury and a long summer. The Flames' defense and goaltending (no surprises there) are in some flux, but Giordano is a mainstay in the No. 1 role.
Top five trending down
Christian Ehrhoff, LA: The thing about playing for old, crusty coaches is that, a lot of times, they feel less is more. Since Darryl Sutter cut Ehrhoff's ice time by five minutes, the Kings have gone on a four-game winning streak; meanwhile, Ehrhoff's collected his first two points of the season. Coincidence? I don't think so. Maybe there's just been a little too much mileage, or maybe he excels only in certain styles, but clearly Ehrhoff won't be a dependable top-four guy this season. He will, however, provide a lot of value on the power play. At this point in his career, he's clearly a specialist.
Dougie Hamilton, CGY: Yikes, maybe Boston knew something about Dougie that no one else really did. The Flames' biggest new addition saw his ice time get cut over his past two games, and he has been inconsistent to start the season. The Flames came out flat in the season opener and clawed back with a narrow win the next game, but then proceeded to lose four straight. Maybe they're in for a regression.
Marek Zidlicky, NYI: The offense is there, but the defense isn't, which is why Jack Capuano sat him after a 5-3 loss to Boston. He has averaged about 15 minutes a game, but a lot of that time is on the power play, which means he's usually not dependable on even strength and is outmatched on the penalty kill. Zidlicky certainly won't play 82 games now, and may end up being part of a rotation.
Ben Hutton, VAN: There's still a ton of hope left for this kid because, more often than not, he's making the right play. He's more explosive than Chris Tanev, but has the same kind of patience and poise with the puck. Despite notching an assist, Hutton played just 14:46 on Saturday while the Canucks blew a 2-0 lead; they're still in search of their first home win of the season. This is his rookie season and NCAA players don't play as many games, so maybe he needs a little rest.
Ryan McDonagh, NYR: He's still invaluable to the Rangers defense, but McDonagh has yet to record a point. He's not an elite scorer in the first place, but it's bad enough that Alain Vigneault has separated him from long-time defensive partner Dan Girardi. McDonagh does good things on both sides of the puck, but the Rangers have been streaky to start the season and need a little more consistency from their captain.
This week's top-five picks
P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov, MTL: Duh. All-Canadian matchups this week with all three teams in Western Canada and then a date with the Jets at home. What's the combined over-under? Ten points?
Victor Hedman, TB: Four games this week against a banged-up Blues squad and the porous defenses of Colorado, Boston and Carolina. He'll rake.
John Klingberg, DAL: An explosive offense with home dates against a Ducks team that looks really ugly, a Canucks team that can't come close to matching the Stars' speed, and a Sharks team with Martin Jones looking human.
Tyson Barrie, COL: He returns from his suspension against Florida and then plays Tampa, but has a juicy matchup with Carolina afterward. After a long rest, he should come out flying.
Kris Letang, PIT: He has been really underwhelming so far, as has the entire team, but other than a tough match against Washington (just 10 points in 23 games), Letang's got Buffalo and Toronto the next two games. The Sabres just got pumped for 11 goals in their past two games, while the Leafs are, well, the Leafs.
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Placed on waivers
Nikitin was placed on waivers by Edmonton on Saturday, reports Edmonton Journal.The Oilers attempted to trade Nikitin to no avail and now, assuming he clears waivers, they will ship him and his $4.5 million salary to Bakersfield of the AHL.... See More ... See Less -
Is on the trade block
The Oilers have placed Nikitin on the trade block, reports Edmonton Journal.The Oilers have several extra defensemen and would like to move one or two. Nikitin has never lived up to expectations since coming to Edmonton and is unlikely to bring any kind of windfall via a trade.... See More ... See Less -
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Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-3, 217 lbs |
| Birthplace: Omsk, Russia, USSR |
| Age: 37 |
| Experience: 5 |