If the Ottawa Senators had an unusual or surprising signing this offseason, it was their decision to sign 38-year-old winger Nikolay Kulemin to a fixed-term contract. Of course, Kulemin had a decent NHL career, including a 30-goal season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But that was the exception among exceptions, and that was 14 years ago, when he was playing on a line with popular former senator Clarke MacArthur. In his seven other full seasons in the league, Kulemin scored between 7 and 16 goals per season.
However, the Senators don’t expect him to be a 30-goal sniper. They’re currently holding auditions for a fourth-line player, which is a perfect fit for Kulemin’s skill set. He’s a player who’s tough on the boards, responsible defensively and can still score 20 to 25 points.
Relationships make the hockey world go round, and Kulemin was in Toronto when the Senators’ current brain trust of general manager Steve Staios and senior vice-president of hockey operations Dave Poulin were both in that organization. They obviously liked what they saw then and hope it still does today.
“Yeah, he’s a good professional,” general manager Steve Staios said last week. “We talked about competitiveness in camp. He’s 38, he’s in great shape and I think he’ll add some competitiveness. He’s played at a high level in the KHL and I think it’ll be a good thing for our younger players to see what it takes to be able to continue to perform at the professional level. But he’s a good professional.”
So that’s Ottawa’s explanation. And what about Kulemin? His desire to return was also curious… at first. But it turned out to be a family decision, one he hopes will support his son’s hockey aspirations.
“I decided this year that I wanted my son to play here in Canada,” Kulemin said The Athletic. “It’s a good level of hockey. It’s a fast game here, it’s a little different from Russia. The teams have fewer players, so there are only three forward lines, whereas at home there are four. It’s a little more exciting, there’s a little more playing time, so it will be something new for him.”
This is Aleks Kulemin’s OHL draft year and he will be playing in Triple-A for the Don Mills Flyers of the Greater Toronto Hockey League.
The Senators have a lot of young players knocking on the NHL door to fill out that fourth line right now. Kulemin could make up for what he lacks in youth with experience and know-how. If he can’t, he still has the option of Belleville, which is even closer to his son.
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