Tag: AK46

SK74 headed to KHL for Good?

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Well, we all saw this coming… even the most diehard SK74 fans. It began even more clear during the lockout, when Sergei Kostitsyn, everyone’s favorite Belorussian, made a name for himself with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk. At the time, it was inspiring to Preds fans watching the struggling talent shine so brightly amongst the KHL; so much so that we all hoped he would bring that momentum back with him when the lockout ended… He didn’t.

SK74 managed to score 27 points in 28 games with Avangard, but only 15 in 46 when the NHL season resumed. Ouch.
Sergei was a force to be reckoned with when he was picked up from the Montreal Canadiens before the 2010-11 season, scoring 23 goals and picking up 27 assists in that season alone. But after that season, everything seemed to fall apart for the young Kostitsyn, with the 2011-12 season producing a lesser, but still good, 17 goals and 26 assists. This past season? An embarrassing three goals and twelve assists. Ouch again.

During the 2011-12 season, the Preds tried to bolster SK74’s momentum by bringing his older brother, Andrei on board, picking him up before the trade deadline from Montreal. Unfortunately, the plan backfired and trouble between the Kostitsyn brothers and Alexander Radulov resulted in Andrei and Radulov’s dismissal from the team. Understandably, that left a bad taste in Sergei’s mouth.

And again, when he went to the KHL during the lockout this past season, it was another sign that SK74 felt more comfortable amongst more common fellows. It couldn’t have been more clear as to how truly comfortable he was with Avangard and, for the Predators, that wasn’t a good sign for the future of SK74 with Nashville.

The GM of Avangard Omsk offered Sergei Kostitsyn a contract this past week, wishing him to return to the Alexander Frolov and Dmitry Semin line that worked so well together. Apparently, by the stats, it worked 10 times better than the SK74-Fisher-Erat line. Preds GM David Poile has been quoted has saying he would have “no objection” for allowing SK74 to return to the KHL.

The question in the coming day is, will David Poile risk one of two Compliance Buyouts to keep the struggling Belarussian or will he let Sergei go after this year? Also, there is the possibility that SK74 pulls an Alexander Radulov and runs off before his contract ends.

The truly sad thing is, even though he is given a lot of grief for his terrible performances and his huge mistakes (A.K.A. the infamous “quit” moment), Sergei Kostitsyn has a ton of talent that, for some reason or another, cannot be displayed. And that goes for any NHL team, not just the Predators. He struggled with behavioral and accountability issues while with Montreal and he would do it again with any other NHL team that gave him a chance.

Could it be he is more like Radulov in the sense that, in the KHL, rules are different and life is a little bit less strict for a player? I believe it is a mixture of that and the comfort level he feels being back in a more familiar role, surrounded by people who all speak the same language and there really isn’t a barrier for him to get stuck behind. Unlike his fellow non-American teammates, like Pekka Rinne and Patric Hornqvist, SK74 has not clung to English very well and is not comfortable with ten mics thrown in his face. However, interviews seem to come naturally to him when they are in Belarussian or Russian, two languages he is comfortable relaying information in.

You can’t hate the kid for wanting to return to something familiar and somewhere he excels. He’s given the NHL his best shot and, unfortunately for the few SK74 fans other there, it wasn’t his best. As long as he doesn’t jump ship like Radulov, we won’t turn our backs on SK. We’d like him give it all he’s got this last season because, even if Nashville offers him an extension, I believe this is our last season with Sergei Kostitsyn in the Predators gold.

Sergei Kostitsyn seeks Long-Term Contract with Nashville

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Sergei taking a break during practice.

Sergei Kostitsyn, or SK74 as he is affectionately called, is what is known as a “young gun, rebel” type… or, at least, he was. Sergei has worn the Predators jersey for two seasons now and, although they’ve heard the many of rumors, Nashville has never seen the rebel, immature side of the 25-year-old Forward from Belarus.

A 7th Round Pick in the 2005 Draft at the tender age of 18, Sergei was a bit of a diamond in the rough. The potential was clearly there (he wouldn’t have even been considered for the NHL if it hadn’t), just a little masked by insecurity and a lack of confidence in himself. SK74 was drafted by the  Montréal Canadiens, the same team that found potential in older brother, Andrei Kostitsyn.

As most former Habs players have admitted, finding the perfect fit in Montréal is a bit challenging, and with his lack of confidence and insecurity, Sergei found himself fighting to stay above water. In frustration, Kostitsyn did whatever he thought would get himself more attention, and potentially more ice time. However, acting out and bad behavioral issues wasn’t the direction the young Forward wanted to walk down, especially alone.

Missing the bus to a preseason game in 2009, being suspended for not reporting to Montréal’s AHL farm team, the Hamilton Bulldogs; Sergei and fellow teammate, goaltender Carey Price even got into an argument about Sergei’s lack of effort and commitment to the team. Montréal and Sergei Kostitsyn were clashing, and both the NHL and the KHL were watching.

Though his behavioral issues out-shined his potential as a great player at times, one team saw past the frustration and immaturity that comes with being a young, ice-deprived hockey player. The Nashville Predators traded Dustin Boyd and Dan Ellis in the off-season of 2010, giving the Belorussian a chance at a fresh start.

Both Coach Barry Trotz and General Manager David Poile worked with Sergei, highlighting both his strong and weak spots, instead of letting him fall the the wayside like he had with the Habs. Two seasons later, Sergei Kostitsyn found himself on the top line along with Mike Fisher and Martin Erat, and notched his first career Hat Trick on January 1st.

However, Sergei still had his off moments in both the 2011-12 season and post season. Lack of confidence still plagues the young Belorussian, causing him to miss key passes, shots, and goals. Although he performed well during the Detroit series in the playoffs, SK74 struggled in the Phoenix series, being replaced on the top line by Colin Wilson.

After two season, Sergei Kostitsyn has expressed his desires to be signed to a long-term contract by Nashville, the one team who he was nestled with soundly. No word if SK74’s agent has met with the club yet, but the deadline to tender qualifying offers to restricted free agents is June 29th, giving both sides a little over a month to come to a decision.

Recently, both Sergei and older brother Andrei jumped on board with Team Belarus for the IIHF World Championship. Although Belarus was recently knocked out by Team Canada, Sergei was able to score a goal in his short time with his country’s team. However, Sergei collided with Team Canada’s Kris Russell yesterday, separating his shoulder. Team Belarus Head Coach, Kari Heikkilä stated that Sergei will be all right, but will need to rest for one to two weeks.

Looking back at his issues with Montréal, it’s clear why Sergei wishes to stay with the Nashville Predators. Not only has Nashville worked one-on-one with SK74, tweaking and fine-tuning his value, the club has become both a home and family to Sergei. Nashville has just begun polishing this diamond in the rough, and Sergei Kostitsyn wants to shine brighter.


Here’s a highlight video of today’s (15 May 2012) IIHF tournament games. You can see Sergei’s goal against Canada at the beginning of the video.

Preds gain Momentum in Game 3, Fall Hard in Game 4

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The Game Ops Department really stepped up for Round 2

After A. Kostitsyn and Radulov’s curfew incident, it would be up to the rest of the team to take the reins and prove to the NHL world that, even though some of their players aren’t taking the playoffs seriously, there are others who are willing to step up and earn their place on the ice. Lady Preds has had a busy weekend, so we apologize for not having Wednesday and Friday’s games up earlier, but we shall condense them both into one post for your viewing pleasure. Here are the highlights from Game 3 and Game 4 in Nashville.

GAME 3 – WEDNESDAY NIGHT:

  • For their first game at home for Round 2 against Phoenix, Nashville’s Game Ops department really stepped up to amp up the fans. With laser etchings of the Predators logos, a catfish, the players numbers and even signatures, it was hard not to be completely mesmerized. Here’s a video of it shot by a fan:
  • With AK46 and Rads suspended for the night, two hungry bench-warmers got the chance to prove themselves on the ice Wednesday night. Those two? None other than Matt Halischuk and Jordin Tootoo. Although we wouldn’t deem Hali a bench-warmer, he has been sitting out a few games due to an ailing injury. Tootoo, on the other hand, has been warming the bench during the playoffs, so proving his worth and not losing focus was key for the enforcer. Also getting another shot on the ice was Mr. Controversy himself, Colin Wilson. Brian McGrattan, Craig Smith, Jack Hillen and Ryan Ellis topped out the scratched list.
  • David Legwand took advantage of a scoring opportunity at 8:10 in the 1st, notching his 3rd goal of the playoffs. Gabriel Bourque (2nd Assist) picked up the lone assist on Leggy’s wrister past Mike Smith.
  • Mike Fisher would counter Legwand’s goal at 9:16 of the 1st, grabbing his first goal of the playoffs thus far. Sergei Kostitsyn (1st Assist) and Martin Erat (3rd Assist) picked up the assists.
  • Nashville would hold the 2-0 lead over Phoenix in both the second and the third periods, giving the Predators their first playoff win in this series against the Coyotes. David Legwand tried pressing the Predators further with a second goal of his own, but the goal was inevitably ruled as an “intent to blow” call.
  • Nashville took control of the game defensively, with Pekka Rinne blocking all 32 shots on goal, his first shutout of the 2012 playoffs. The Predators gave the Coyotes four power play chances, but Nashville’s defense stepped up when needed and held Phoenix at bay to seal the win. Here are the four penalty offenders:
  1. Mike Fisher – 11:04 1st Period – Interference
  2. David Legwand – 15:39 1st Period – Hooking
  3. Sergei Kostitsyn – 12:59 3rd Period – Hooking
  4. Martin Erat – 14:18 3rd Period – Tripping
  • Interesting note: Although all four players took 2 minutes in the penalty box, each man collected a point in the game winner for the Preds.
  • The Predators proved that a snide incident involving two irresponsibly players would not phase them while fighting for the Stanley Cup. However, Nashville would have to come out with the same intensity on Friday to keep them from falling deeper into the hole…
GAME 4 – FRIDAY NIGHT:

  •  After a stellar performance on Wednesday night, it was obvious why Coach Barry Trotz did not put Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn back in the lineup. However, would Phoenix expect this out of Trotz and anticipate Nashville’s every move? From its outcome, it looks as if Nashville fell right into Phoenix’s trap, which was for the Predators to come out and play the exact same way on Wednesday.
  • After getting bruised and beaten on Wednesday, Matt Halischuk and Jordin Tootoo took the place of AK46 and Radulov once again, with both players showing great determination on Wednesday. Colin Wilson also came out, once again, proving his puck-handling skills are worth the ice time. Jack Hillen, Brian McGrattan, Ryan Ellis, and Craig Smith continued on the scratched list.
  • Paul Gaustad and Kyle Chipchura dropped the gloves in the first period, with the announcers originally calling Gaustad as Kevin Klein. Here is the video of the two knuckle heads:
  • Rostislav Klesla wasted no time pummeling the Predators, sending already bruised and beaten Matt Halischuk violently into the boards. Klesla was only given a minor penalty of 2 minutes, but Brendan Shanahan ruled this afternoon that Klesla will be suspended for one game (Game 5) due to his unsportsmanlike hit. Luckily, Halischuk was not seriously injured. The video of the hit is below, but you can check out Shanahan’s take on the hit here.
  • Coyotes captain Shane Doan would scored shortly after Klesla’s hit on Halischuk at 14:52, his third goal of the playoffs.
  • At one point during the third period, Nashville was able to slip the puck past Mike Smith for a goal, but in true NHL referee fashion, the goal was waved off due to an “intention to blow” call. This is the second consecutive goal that has been waved off for Nashville due to this “unbelievable” call. Although completely overrun in the first period, the Predators pressured hard in the second and third periods, but were unable to slip past the Coyotes defense.
  • Nashville out-shot Phoenix by one (25 to 24), but even with all the potential chances the Predators were given, Nashville just wasn’t able to pull one out. It also did not help that Phoenix was out to weaken the Predators, pummeling them left and right into the boards.
  • Both Nashville and Phoenix had the same amount of power play chances at three, but neither team was able to capitalize on their advantage. Here are the three Predators offenders of the first period:
  1. Jordin Tootoo – 1:30 1st Period – Interference
  2. Paul Gaustad – 10:00 1st Period – Fighting
  3. Gabriel Bourque – 15:55 1st Period – Slashing

Although coming out with an intensity that can only be described as Predators hockey on Wednesday night, Nashville’s flame completely burned out on Friday, not what the Predators needed in order to contend for the Cup. It was clear Phoenix was completely and utterly prepared for Nashville to play the exact same way they did on Wednesday, which is one of the major flaws in the way Barry Trotz coaches. Now, don’t get us wrong, Trotz is an outstanding coach… in the regular season. However, teams anticipate opponents to fall to familiarity, and Nashville did just that on Friday night. They played it safe and kept the same lineups and plays as Wednesday, giving Phoenix the completely advantage. The one change that was noted was that SK74 was bumped from the star lineup and replaced with Colin Wilson. And, a question we ask, why wasn’t Paul Gaustad in the face-offs? With the highest winning percentage, why did he not get first choice in face-offs?

We could ask questions like these all day until our faces turn blue, but what ultimately matters now is that the Predators stitch themselves back up, change it up a bit, and come out swinging in Glendale tomorrow night. With the Stanley Cup on the line, if Nashville is as hunger as they think they are, tomorrow will not even be a factor.

Until then,
GO PREDS

Radulov & A. Kostitsyn Suspended for Team Violation

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Don't make that face! You got caught red-handed, mister!

As you may have all heard by now (yes, we are way behind on relaying this message), forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn have been suspended for Game 3 of the series between Nashville and Phoenix on Wednesday, after violating team rules late Saturday night/early Sunday morning.

General Manager David Poile laid the hammer down hard on the two Eastern European players, extending this message to both the press and public:
“The Nashville Predators have a few simple rules centered around doing the right things,” Poile said. “We have always operated with a team-first mentality and philosophy. Violating team rules is not fair to our team and their teammates.”

Per sources who know of the issues, Radulov and A. Kostitsyn were seen in Scottsdale, Arizona (about 45 minutes away from Glendale, AZ) at a bar and were there as late as 4AM. The team has a strict policy on “party hardying” and it is clear why the two drove that far to go to a bar: they didn’t want to get caught.

Both Radulov and A. Kostitsyn have been notable in the playoffs thus far for the Predators, with Alexander notching one goal and five assists and AK46 three goals and one assist. Although Radulov’s puck-handling will be missed, AK46 could possibly be the thorn in Nashville’s side on Wednesday night.

With Radulov and Andrei out of the lineup, who will be their replacements?
Don’t get too nervous, there are plenty of guys biting at the tooth to get some playoff ice time.

JORDIN TOOTOO:
Here’s one guy that’s definitely been itching for more ice time; he’s been pretty vocal about it as of late. If Toots can manage to keep a level head, his physicality could come in handy against the pesky Coyotes. However, there’s a reason Toots has taken a back seat and, although he’s worked hard during practices, his silly mistakes could prove fatal to the Predators with the series so close to being handed to Phoenix.

MATT HALISCHUK:
Halischuk is what we call a “silent assassin”.  Although not a popular, well-known player, Matt Halischuk has made a name for himself and found a permanent home on Predators ice. Halischuk averaged 15 goals and 13 assists in the 2011-12 season, saving the Predators with a few of those moves. However, Hally’s been a  bit quiet in this post season, but he has been nursing an injury.

CRAIG SMITH:
Rookie Craig Smith has had a good mixture of awesome and complete atrocious moments, but the boy is a good hockey player all around. Craig averaged 14 goals and 22 assists in the 2011-12 season, which is pretty impressive for a rookie. Craig hasn’t seen much ice time during the playoffs thus far, but has managed to sneak in an assist so far. However, Smith is a speedster and has proven by showing a little aggression out on the ice, both attributes the Predators could use at this time in the series.

There is simply no excuse for the actions both Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn committed on Saturday night. Some would just brush it off as two young, 20-somethings looking for a good time after taking their first loss, but rules are rules and both David Poile and Barry Trotz were not afraid to put their foot down, risky playoff move or not.

It’s never good to defy your team and teammates at any time, but during such a pivotal point in a series that could end your run at the Stanley Cup is NOT the best time to drink your cares away (especially when there’s a game the next day).

With punishment, maybe Andrei Kostitsyn and Alexander Radulov will realize that their team, teammates, and fans take this series very seriously and would appreciate that, no matter how old and rambunctious they are, they are professional athletes that should act as such.   

Just chalk this mistake up as another thorn in Nashville’s side as they fight to regain their footing towards the Stanley Cup.

Until then,
GO PREDS.

(Photo credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

AK46’s Accuracy saves Predators in SO, Nashville wins 5-4 in Phoenix

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Francis Bouillon and Ryan Ellis celebrate Frankie's first goal of the season.

The Predators began their Western trek last night with their first stop in Glendale, Arizona to face the team that currently holds the 2nd spot in the Pacific Division, the Phoenix Coyotes. After losing five games in a row, then coming back to demolish the San Jose Sharks on Saturday 3-0, the Coyotes were eager to jump back on the winning wagon and retain their #2 spot in the division. However, the Coyotes fall just two spots behind the Predators in conference standings, and just ten points behind the Preds… Who was more hungry for a win? Here are the highlights from last night’s all-nighter:

KEY POINTS:

  • Craig Smith was finally able to stretch his legs, getting off the scratched list to see some ice time. Kevin Klein, Brian McGrattan, Brandon Yip, and Roman Josi topped out the scratched list, with Roman suffering from a possible concussion. In fact, Josi didn’t even make the trip to Phoenix with the team, leading us to speculate that his concussion might lead to possible IR time. Yikes.
  • Both teams were shaky in the first, with both the Predators and the Coyotes only sending 8 goals a piece on net during the period. Martin Erat was finally able to slip a wrist shot past Mike Smith at 19:31 for his 17th goal of the season. Sergei Kostitsyn picked up his 24th assist and Hal Gill his 10th of the season on Marty’s Party goal.
  • Phoenix must have had an intermission intervention, for Daymond Langkow tipped the puck in past Pekka Rinne 49 seconds into the 2nd Period for his 9th goal of the season.
  • The Predators would finally take the lead once again at 11:04 with a beautiful setup between the dream team that is Martin Erat, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Mike Fisher. Fisher’s wrist shot gave him his 21st goal of the season, along with SK74’s 25 assist and Marty’s 34th assist of the season.
  • Keith Yandle didn’t wait too long to tie the game once more, gaining his 10th goal of the season at 14:23.
  • The back and forth would continue at 18:26 with a wrist shot from Francis Bouillon, his 1st goal of the season. Martin Erat picked up his second assist of the night (35th) along with Ryan Ellis (7th assist).
  • Craig Smith would come out fast in the 3rd Period, scoring his 13th goal of the season at 2:36 with a backhanded beauty. Paul Gaustad was the lone assist, picking up his 13th for the season.
  • The Coyotes wouldn’t let the Predators, who were up by 2 in the third, simply slip away with the easy win and came back with force. First with a goal from Oliver Ekman-Larsson (his 9th of the season) at 7:11 and then another from Raffi Torres at 15:01 for his 13th goal of the season. Both goalies and defense would block each team from taking the win, sending the game into OT.
  • Overtime, although with Phoenix taking 2 shots and the Predators only taking 1 on goal, would produce nothing for either teams, sending the go-around into a shootout, a testament for both teams’ goalies.
  1. PHOENIX – Ray Whitney – SAVE BY RINNE
  2. NASHVILLE – Andrei Kostitsyn – GOAL
  3. PHOENIX – Radim Vrbata – SAVE BY RINNE
  4. NASHVILLE – Martin Erat – SAVE BY SMITH
  5. PHOENIX – Mikkel Boedker – SAVE BY RINNE
  • Andrei Kostitsyn’s accuracy saved the Predators from a rough and too-close-for-comfort game. The Predators may have left with the two points, but the Coyotes slipped away with one, and after holding the lead by two, the Predators (although the victors) hung their head after letting an easy win turn into a fight for survival.
  • Both teams equalled out in shots on goal at 35, but both goalies took a beating. Both Pekka Rinne and Mike Smith made some remarkable saves, but due to flaws in the defense, Pekka wasn’t able to stop nasty goalies from the likes of Yandle and Langkow.
  • The Predators only gave the Coyotes one power play chance, with a tripping penalty called on Sergei Kostitsyn at 16:43 in the 2nd Period. The Coyotes handed the Predators three chances, but none were used to Nashville’s advantage.
The Predators slipped away with the win by the skin of their teeth, clearly a lack of motivation after gaining the lead by 2. The Coyotes ate up the sluggish, slackers and almost sent the Predators packing to San Jose with a loss under their belt. However, no matter how nasty of a win, a win is a win and the Predators came out the victors.
Trotz has probably already tanned their hides for the close call, so hopefully the Predators will be more focused and ready to win the game in regulation against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. The puck drops even later on Thursday with the game starting at 9:30PM CST.
We leave you with this video highlight of last night’s game, with a shot of AK46’s shootout goal that save the Predators from a loss.
…Who’s a happy GM? David Poile’s a happy GM!
Until then,
GO PREDS.

Predators Show no Mercy for Former Players, Defeat Panthers 3-1

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Pekka prepares himself for the game against the Florida Panthers.

The Predators didn’t fair too well in Raleigh, North Carolina against the Hurricanes on Tuesday night, prompting the team to take their next game a wee bit more seriously. Although another Eastern Conference team, the Florida Panthers are currently 1st in the Southeast Division, meaning the Predators would need to be a little more focused and much more ready to hit the ice (the Hurricanes are 5th in the Southeast).

However, those three days of rest (and reflection time) gave the Predators some much needed motivation when they took to the ice in South Florida tonight. How did the three new Trade Picks do against their former conference rivals? Here are the highlights from tonight’s game:

KEY POINTS:

  • Brian McGrattan is still sitting pretty on the IR, but was overheard as saying he should be back possibly by Tuesday’s game against the Kings (We’ll hope for that one). Kevin Klein is also feeling the pain from a recent injury, taking a night off to rest. Rookie Ryan Ellis is still fighting off a cold of some sort, and Brandon Yip and Matt Halischuk were the healthy scratches.
  • The Predators got the ball rolling at 11:35 of the 1st with a snap shot from newcomer, Andrei Kostitsyn, his 13th goal of the season and his 100th overall. With this just being his second game in a Predators sweater, AK46 is making a good name for himself with the team and the fans; looks like Sergei might have some competition as favorite brother. Paul Gaustad and Hal Gill picked up the assists on AK46’s goal, making for a “Trade Pick” goal.
  • Mike Fisher wasted no time in the 2nd period, scoring his 19th goal in just 28 seconds with a snap shot past Scott Clemmensen. Martin Erat picked up his 33rd assist on Fisher’s goal.
  • Florida would outplay the Predators for their first and only goal of the night, clearing the ice and giving Wojtek Wolski what was basically an empty-netter (sorry Peks) at 7:49. The 2nd period would end with the Predators still on top 2-1.
  • David Legwand would seal his 15th goal of the season at 7:02 in the third with a backhander past Clemmensen. Andrei Kostitsyn and Ryan Suter picked up the assists on Leggy’s goal.

At some point during the 3rd period, Jack Hillen was hit by this lovely thing:

And they think our catfish are dumb...

Similar to Nashville’s catfish, the Florida Panther fans throw their own animal of choice. This is just a generic photo we found on Google, so we’re almost positive the rat did not say “Panthers Win!” on it, but just in case you missed Hillen being smacked with it.

  •  As Nashville goes, the Predators won and still were out-shot 40 to 23 overall, with Pekka blocking 39 of those on goal (isn’t he a Finnish dream boat?). It’s pretty clear as to why Pekka Rinne was the First Star of the Game tonight.
  • The Predators are lucky Pekka is as good as he is, due to the fact they took some unnecessary penalties tonight, three compared to Florida’s one. Luckily, the Panthers were unable to capitalize on any of the chances handed to them.
  1. Mike Fisher – 7:20 1st Period – Holding
  2. Sergei Kostitsyn – 12:24 2nd Period – Slashing
  3. Jordin Tootoo – 16:45 2nd Period – Tripping
The Predators redeem themselves after the loss on Tuesday against the Hurricanes, showing no mercy to former Preds Jerred Smithson and Marcel Goc. The Predators are finished with the Eastern Conference for a while, coming home to take on the L.A. Kings on Tuesday and then welcoming back Shane O’Brien and the Avalanche on Thursday night. 

Andrei Kostitsyn celebrates his 100th career goal.

Until then,
Go Preds.
(Photo credit: First Image – Grant Halverson/Getty Images, Second Image – Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

Preds Player Profile: Andrei Kostitsyn

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Andrei Kostitsyn will make his Nashville debut on Tuesday, March 6th.

The Predators picked up two players before the Trade Deadline commenced on Monday afternoon, surprising most (if not all) Predators fan. With everyone’s minds on the Nash-to-Nash conundrum, no one saw who Predators General Manager, David Poile was really eyeing in the Eastern Conference.

The first of those two Eastern Conference contenders the Predators traded for was Andrei Kostitsyn, current Nashville Predators player Sergei Kostitsyn’s older brother. The Predators made a trade agreement with the Montreal Canadiens, that (along with the conditional draft pick used to get Hal Gill) the Canadiens would hand over AK46 for a 2nd Round Draft Pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Andrei Kostitsyn was born on February 3, 1985 in Novopolotsk, Belarus. Before starting his career in the NHL, Andrei competed in several different leagues, including the Eastern European Hockey League and the CSKA of Russia. After his first season with CSKA,  Andrei was drafted first round (10th overall) in the 2003 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. In the summer of 2004, AK46 signed a three-year contract with the team.

Andrei Kostitsyn saw his first NHL game on December 1, 2005 against the Buffalo Sabres, a game the Canadiens would ultimately lose in overtime. Kostitsyn wasted no time scoring his first NHL goal on the December 13th against the Phoenix Coyotes, a game the Canadiens would end up winning 5-2.

Unfortunately, the older Kostitsyn is no stranger to injury, suffering a minor concussion in the 2008-09 season along with a leg injury. Thankfully, in the same month, AK46 notched his first career Hat Trick on December 27, 2008.

After seven years with the Montreal Canadiens, it was time for AK46 to be reunited with little brother, SK74 in Nashville. Sergei and Andrei were separated on June 29, 2009 when Sergei was traded to the Nashville Predators for goaltender Dan Ellis and forward Dustin Boyd.

OTHER NOTABLE FACTS:

  • Posted 12:13 minutes of ice time against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night during his debut with the Nashville Predators.
  • Andrei and Paul Gaustad, the other major trade pickup for the Predators, both share the same birthday (February 3rd).
  • Collected 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in 53 games this season with the Montreal Canadiens.
  • AK46 played 379 NHL games since his 2005-06 career, all with the Montreal Canadiens. Along with this, Kostitsyn has tallied 99 goals and 210 points.

Andrei Kostitsyn has been called the complete opposite of his young brother, Sergei. In what ways? Well, Andrei likes to shoot and shoot as often as possible. Though Sergei is finally coming around to shooting more often, hopefully with his brother on his side, both will become an unstoppable brotherly force. Maybe a Sedin twin combo? Along with this potential, by picking up Andrei, the chances of the Predators re-signing Sergei are much higher come post-season.

Welcome to Nashville, Andrei Kostitsyn!

(Photo credit: Elsa/Getty Images North America)