Silver Nuggets: Filatov questions; Backup goalie speculation

So, there is one more day to go until free agency. Tomorrow should be a quiet day for the Senators, as their main target of acquiring a backup goalie does not necessarily have to be done on day one. As I will be with the family tomorrow, I am more expecting a text along the lines of, "Adnan, the Sens signed some goalie for $875k" instead of "Adnan! STAMKOS for 12 years $144 million!". Of course, I might not be texted at all, but that's just sad.

Here are today's links:

General Sens News

• Here is a video of the media scrum with Nikita Filatov yesterday, he handled himself pretty well, even when Don Brennan asked him if he idolised Alex Kovalev. (Ottawa Senators)
• Now today, Brennan ran an article with the transcript of the questions to Filatov. The transcript lists has one of the questions as "Who was your idol growing up in Russia?" and doesn't mention him asking about Kovalev at all in that question. If you are going to run a transcript, at least print what you asked. (Ottawa Sun)
• When we traded for Dany Heatley, the Ottawa media generally gave him a pass about his past and he wasn't questioned on it. Nikita Filatov however, is already being asked about his defensive game, his requesting a trade, and basically him being...Russian. Personally, I think it is silly to expect every skilled forward to be a Selke candidate. Why do we not expect Matt Carkner to have Erik Karlsson's skills then? (The 6th Sens)
• Filatov, given repeated opportunities by the media to take a shot at Columbus, refused to do so. The guy seems like a good kid and I don't see any entitlement issues at all with him. He acknowledges what he needs to improve. (Ottawa Sun)
• The Ottawa Senators are going to have two sets of kids who grew up together as players. There are some of the Binghamton players who enjoyed a Calder Cup run last season. But there are also the Swedish prospects who seem to stick together. (Ottawa Senators)
• While the general opinion has been that Mika Zibanejad will likely return to Sweden this season, NBC ProHockeyTalk lists Zibanejad, along with Adam Larsson and Gabriel Landeskog as the three players most likely to make the immediate jump to the NHL this fall. (NBC)
• While we discussed our candidates for backup goalie this morning, here are a couple more views on who we should target. The 6th Sens article also mentions Matthew Spezza. (Senshot, The 6th Sens)
• For those of you who want to buy out Filip Kuba, 5:00 p.m. today is the deadline to buy out contracts. There will be a second buyout window for players being taken to arbitration, but that obviously doesn't apply to Kuba. (Bob McKenzie)

More after the jump.

General Hockey News

• Greg Wyshynski looks at some of the scenarios that could unfold involving Steven Stamkos. He looks at Stamkos receiving an offer sheet from Philadelphia, Toronto or Florida, or re-signing with Tampa Bay for either a huge cap hit or a manageable one. (Yahoo!)
• Valeri Bure, husband to D.J. from Full House (do I seem too old now?), can't understand why his brother's jersey isn't retired by the Canucks. (Montreal Gazette)