On this draft move however enter blemish

He also was understanding and patient in being assigned to the AHL, for the remainder of the season, a few games after he scored his hat trick against the Minnesota Wild. He quietly watched the double standard of a long leash for the veteran players, even some younger players, and an extremely short leash for himself. He's told, and knows, that he has world-class talent, yet he sees all those players drafted before him logging significant, first line/pairing shifts in the NHL. He sees veterans who were essentially turnover machines, doing so, without any repercussions, as he was subject to.

He's told that he's in "survival mode" Ken Hitchcock's words to describe his playing prospects essentially wrecking any confidence that he had and leading him to try not make a mistake. Much like Marty Schotenheimer and John Cooper in football (coaching), when you try not to make a mistake, you make several mistakes. Think that might be a life-altering changeScott Howson this one really hurts to even infer or question him.During his tenure, you'd be hard-pressed to find even the slightest blemish thus, the phrase, "In Howson we trust." On this draft move, however, enter blemish. Since the discontinuation of the transfer agreements between the NHL and Russian players, two seasons ago, has made NHL GMsquite apprehensive towards possibly wasting a draft pick on someone who's essentially a flight risk. Case in point: Maxim Mayorov, a consensus 10th-15th, overall, draft pick, being drafted by the Blue Jackets in the fourth round, in the 2007 entry draft. If you need further evidence, just ask the Nashville Preds of their comfort level in drafting Russian players, after Alexander Radulov left, two seasons ago, never to return to the NHL and the Preds.

Now that Filatov has returned to Russia, and is now playing in the KHL not a league I'd put much faith in honoring the loan agreement the Blue Jackets have lost their no. 1 pick for nothing in return.In Howson's defense, however, he being an extremely bright, methodical person, he did his due diligence, interviewing him several times, in the scouting/draft process. All signs seemed "a go" Filatovwasn't under any contract with any Russian league or other impeding promulgating bodies, Filatov expressed a lifelong desire to play in the NHL, he learned English at a relatively young age; basically, he said and did all the right things. There was also the opposing risk that, had they not drafted Filatov with the No. 6, overall, pick, that the drop-off in talent was quite large.