Sergei moves to the "doghouse"

Why the demotion?

Sergei Kostitsyn is more of a proven NHL commodity, from a statistical perspective, than several other hopefuls still with the team.

It should be noted that Sergei is part of a legacy group of forwards retained by BG after significant expectations were not met last year. Along with brother AK, Pleks, BGL, Laps & Lats, this group is on a short leash.

A partial explanation may involve the impact of extraordinary scrutiny in Habville... where else in the NHL would a coach's reprimand to a player during a preseason scrimmage or missing a bus be considered significant news.

Another factor involved could be JM making a poorly disguised statement to players, media, ownership, fans, etc… that behavioral issues will be dealt with swiftly and decisively going forward.

Perhaps JM believes there are better #6 forward options (Max, Dags, Lats).

Or is this a partial response to concerns over the size of the top 5 forwards?

Maybe the answer here is small parts of all above and that SK can be sent to the AHL without waiver concerns.


This move is a gamble for Jacques Martin.

Considering the candidates involved in the running for the #6 forward slot … all offer different skills, but with only the pre season to review, and a serious shortage of goal scoring thus far, a forward with SK’s abilities may offer the best opportunity of this lot to immediately assist in a top 6 role.

Young guns like Pat Kane or Sam Gagner may appreciate being reunited with SK ( OHL – London Knights 2006-07) if he were to become trade bait as a result of this recent demotion. Stewing in the AHL certainly does not improve the team's trade return. Does BG want another Grabovski trade situation?

We have witnessed other Habs bolting to the KHL in recent years (Perezhogin, Valentenko) when role uncertainty was an issue. Keep in mind when SK was sent to the Dogpound last season ... most were left to believe the demotion was a result of SK’s association with “criminal” elements, which turned out to be of little or no substance. This alone would leave any player with mixed feelings about a career in Habville. Numerous posters spew the Don Cherry type rant… "go back to Belarus" or “give the job to a good Canadian boy”, but one can sense that letting assets walk away with no return is not in the best interests of the Habs franchise. If SK does move to the KHL, as rumored, then watch for residual impact on AK’s performance and future as well.

Which leads me to state… SK and AK may be a package deal going forward, similar to the Sedin(s) situation. When SK first came up to the NHL and impressed all with his vision and creativity, there was also a significant improvement in AK’s game. Although a dysfunctional merry go round of line changes was the Carbo norm this past season… one can easily see that brothers K are in tune with, and compliment each other’s skills. I would think other GM’s are aware of this. It would be unfortunate if this action diminishes the performance or trade potential of both.

The timing of the demotion, when the remainder of the team was heading for the group love fest was surprising. It may look like a new coach desperate to make a bold statement … with SK being the easiest target available. If there was substance leading to the demotion, and with the incredible media scrutiny involved, JM could have easily dealt with this in a manner respectful to the player by waiting until the end of the “bonding” session and send SK packing along with remainder of the last cuts. Hoping SK does not react poorly to this move. I wonder how other Hab players view this.

NHL & KHL GM’s alike may be interested in how this situation plays out.

Hopefully, SK tears up the AHL for several weeks and finds himself back with big brother in Habville, hungry to contribute and eager to show JM the error of his ways.

Otherwise, this could be the first major distraction in the Habs 09/10 campaign for BG and JM.