Ottawa Senators: Nikita Filatov to Finish Season in KHL

Ottawa Senators forward Nikita Filatov is going to Russia to finish the season with CSKA Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League.

The former sixth overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008 was unable to maintain a spot as a top-six forward for the Senators this season.

Filatov is still only 21 years young, and could definitely be a late bloomer for a team willing to give him consistent playing time. 

As I mentioned here, I thought the Senators were the perfect fit for Filatov; they would give him time to acclimate himself to the organization and, essentially, the NHL.

According to TSN.ca, Senators general manager Bryan Murray said, "After a fair amount of discussion with him, we had to determine whether to move him back to Binghamton, or go over to play in the KHL … his preference was to go home for the balance of the year, so we made an agreement with them to have that happen."

Sometimes a player just needs some home cooking. 

FIlatov, who was born in Moscow, will be heading home to try to rejuvenate his hockey career. 

This was a good move by Murray, giving Filatov the ability to go back to where his hockey life began and revive it anew.

Hopefully, Filatov can return to the Sens next season with revived confidence and help provide an influx of young skill, especially if Daniel Alfredsson or Jason Spezza are gone by then.