"Nikolai Zherdev last month changed his first name to "Nikolay" to match his passport. Reportedly, the change was precipitated when he had trouble cashing a check. The bank didn't know who he was. Who does?
Zherdev, of the Philadelphia Flyers, last night returned to Nationwide Arena, his one-time home. He has returned as a visitor before, of course. He came back in October 2008 as a New York Ranger and pinned three points on his old club. Yesterday morning, he smiled at the memory.
Last night, he sat a few stick-lengths away from Nikita Filatov, and their proximity was a source of intrigue. They are linked in many ways. In Columbus, their ties bind.
Zherdev and Filatov are friends and offseason workout partners. Their personalities are different. Zherdev can be quiet, even aloof, on and off the ice. Filatov can be effervescent and full of lively banter, on and off the ice. But what is the extent of their similarities? That is the question.
Who is Filatov? Is he Z?
When will we know?
Zherdev was the Jackets' first-round pick, fourth overall, in 2003. That draft marked a seminal moment in the early history of the franchise. After Zherdev came off the board, Thomas Vanek, Milan Michalek, Ryan Suter, Braydon Coburn and Dion Phaneuf went 5-6-7-8-9. So it goes.
Zherdev played 283 games in a Jackets sweater and had 76 goals, 181 points and one infamous contract dispute. He was minus-33. At times, he played as he was billed coming out of the draft - he lifted fans right out of their seats with bursts of terrific skill. What hands, goodness, he had the puck on a string. Other times, his disengagement frustrated coaches and management.
It started years before Ken Hitchcock got behind the bench. Once, during Zherdev's rookie year, his play so irked then-general manager Doug MacLean that MacLean beat a path to the visitor's locker room at the Staples Center to admonish the kid. It was not gentle.
Zherdev left for New York in the trade that brought Fedor Tyutin to Columbus in July 2008. Even after Zherdev led the team in scoring, the Rangers demurred in extending his contract, and he went back to Russia for a season. There, he played against Filatov, who left Columbus in part because he could not handle Hitchcock, or play Hitch's style, and he would not play in the AHL. The situation was botched on all sides."
