"When the news came out that Nikita Filatov was unhappy to be playing for the Senators' farm team in Binghamton, I was surprised.

And when there were further rumours of Filatov wanting to play in the Kontinental Hockey League instead of working on his game and showing some character to get back to the NHL, I was disappointed, then a little ticked off.

First things first.

Nobody is happy to be in the minors. If you are, there's something wrong with you.

Every player wants to be in the NHL.

I played in the minors for three years before I became a full-time NHLer and I played with and against many players who put in their time, worked hard and didn't complain, at least not to the media, that they weren't getting a fair shake.

To be fair, Filatov is only 21 and sometimes things get out or you say things that can be misconstrued or twisted.

The Filatov I saw earlier this year with the Senators was one that was working really hard, trying to create some offence and trying to play the right way. When I spoke with him, he struck me as a very good person who cared and wanted to succeed.

When you look at it through his eyes, I can understand that Filatov is disappointed to be playing in the AHL. He was the 2008 NHL draft's sixth overall draft pick for Columbus and he ended up playing more games for its minor affiliate than the big club.

I get the disappointment, but at the same time young players like Filatov need to give their head a shake."