Nikitin back in town and in better shape
Nikita Nikitin was to watch Glen Sather’s banner-raising ceremony from the Rexall Place press box Friday, but at least he’s in an NHL rink, not in Bakersfield, Calif., or another American Hockey League outpost.
Nikitin is making the same money in the minors or here, $4.5 million, so playing in the AHL was hardly a hardship for the first two months of the hockey season. But the defenceman is glad to be sitting in Mark Fayne’s former Edmonton Oilers stall now, while the veteran Fayne, who cleared waivers Thursday, may well be occupying Nikitin’s locker on the farm team.
This was a swap of big-ticket salaries, with Nikitin bringing in his equipment bag and hefty paycheque while Fayne’s $3.6 million is now in the AHL. Nikitin doesn’t know how long he’s staying here, but he was all smiles Friday morning after the skate. He looked happy and leaner. It seemed pre-ordained at training camp that Nikitin, who was often hurt last year and struggled when healthy, would be in the Bakersfield Condors lineup. He didn’t do enough to beat out Brandon Davidson and, after being sent down after camp, Darnell Nurse quickly made his way back.
The Oilers had soured on Nikitin after last season. He knew he had to mend fences. He’s got some offensive juice with a big point shot but his defensive work needs buffing, for sure. His foot speed and decision-making have to get better. By all accounts, he didn’t pout, didn’t kick up a fuss on the farm. He was a model soldier.
A very well-off soldier, as the best-paid minor-leaguer, but still in the minors.
Was he angry when sent down after clearing NHL waivers?
“For sure, a little bit mad, but it’s my job,” said Nikitin, whose contract runs out July 1. “I had to check myself to see how I would play there. I had to find my game, get faster, play harder. They gave me lots of minutes, power play, PK. All good. I worked hard to try to come back.” What was it like in Bakersfield? “Not bad, good …” said Nikitin, who played upwards of 20 minutes many games.
“Nice rink, almost full every game. When I played my first year in AHL in Peoria (Illinois) five years ago, there weren’t too many fans,” he said.
“The travel was good. Three- or four-hour drives to games was fine, but the schedule was a bit weird. You play Friday and Saturday, then get the whole week off. One time, we played five games in eight or nine days, though,” Nikitin said.
“One night we had a 7 p.m. game at home and a 1:30 p.m. game the next day. We drove four hours (after the game), laid down at 4:30 in the morning, woke up at 10, eat and go to the rink,” he said. “That was funny.”
Oilers coach Todd McLellan has Nikitin and Andrew Ference as his extras on defence now, with Ference almost ready to come off injured reserve. When Nikitin or Ference play will be dictated by whether the Oilers keep winning and whether Davidson and Eric Gryba, the third pairing, continue to do the job.
“Nikky’s going to be an option for us every night,” McLellan said.
“I’ve noticed already that his fitness level is better. It speaks a lot about an individual when sent to the American League and the guy performs well and is committed, as was reported to me. I think he can help us offensively,” McLellan said. “I’m not worried about that. We’ll see how he handles speed and defensive play. That’s the test for him.”