Alexander Radulov - Page 2

PredDave · 01-18-2007, 08:16 AM

Tough times:

Rookie forward Alexander Radulov scored 10 goals in his first 18 NHL games, but after Wednesday's contest, he'd notched just one in his last 14 contests.

That's taken some adjustment for the 20 year-old Radulov, who's been a big scorer at every level.

"It's a little bit of a challenging time because this is a guy who had a 50-game point streak in junior last season and he's scored on every level,'' Trotz said. "He stepped on the scene here and started scoring pretty consistently.

"But I've seen it happen many times in coaching over the years — once the adrenaline wears off for a young guy, the grind sets in. When he's not scoring at that pace, things that aren't so good in his game show a lot more.''

Radulov said he's focused on working to get better.

"I just want to play a simple game and not have turnovers,'' Radulov said. "If you play good defense, you get to play more, and that gives you more opportunities to have scoring chances.''

Radulov was back in the Predators' lineup on Wednesday after sitting out the last two games. He actually was supposed to play in Monday's game against Calgary, but Trotz mistakenly turned in a lineup card minus Radulov.

PredDave · 02-02-2007, 09:57 AM

Trotz likes current setup with Radulov - Nashville, Tennessee - Thursday, 02/01/07 - Tennessean.com

Over the past five days, the Predators twice have re-assigned rookie forward Alexander Radulov to Milwaukee and twice recalled him.

The moves were necessary in order to accommodate defenseman Kevin Klein, who had been recalled because of sickness among the top six blueliners.

Radulov is the only one of the 15 forwards who can go up and down from the NHL to the American Hockey League without having to clear waivers.

Most NHL teams carry no more than 14 forwards and carry at least seven defensemen on a regular basis. The Predators could do the same if they re-assigned Radulov to Milwaukee for a longer term, but Coach Barry Trotz likes the current setup.

"There really isn't a downside to sending (Radulov) to Milwaukee, but there are a lot of times we want him in the lineup here, and he can play at a very high role," Trotz said.

Radulov has played in just three of Nashville's last eight games, and has seen as many as nine minutes ice time during that stretch only once.

"If he was only playing five minutes per night, I think we'd definitely send him down," Trotz said. "But if he's playing about 12 minutes per night, that's probably the same as playing 20 a game (in the AHL)."

Radulov is currently back on Nashville's roster after Klein was re-assigned to Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Klein had been recalled on Tuesday as a precautionary move because Kimmo Timonen had the flu. But Timonen was able to play on Tuesday, and the hand injury Timonen suffered in Tuesday's game is unlikely to keep him out of tonight's game against Phoenix.

01-18-2007, 08:16 AM	#16 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	Tough times: Rookie forward Alexander Radulov scored 10 goals in his first 18 NHL games, but after Wednesday's contest, he'd notched just one in his last 14 contests. That's taken some adjustment for the 20 year-old Radulov, who's been a big scorer at every level. "It's a little bit of a challenging time because this is a guy who had a 50-game point streak in junior last season and he's scored on every level,'' Trotz said. "He stepped on the scene here and started scoring pretty consistently. "But I've seen it happen many times in coaching over the years — once the adrenaline wears off for a young guy, the grind sets in. When he's not scoring at that pace, things that aren't so good in his game show a lot more.'' Radulov said he's focused on working to get better. "I just want to play a simple game and not have turnovers,'' Radulov said. "If you play good defense, you get to play more, and that gives you more opportunities to have scoring chances.'' Radulov was back in the Predators' lineup on Wednesday after sitting out the last two games. He actually was supposed to play in Monday's game against Calgary, but Trotz mistakenly turned in a lineup card minus Radulov.

02-02-2007, 09:57 AM	#17 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	Trotz likes current setup with Radulov - Nashville, Tennessee - Thursday, 02/01/07 - Tennessean.com Over the past five days, the Predators twice have re-assigned rookie forward Alexander Radulov to Milwaukee and twice recalled him. The moves were necessary in order to accommodate defenseman Kevin Klein, who had been recalled because of sickness among the top six blueliners. Radulov is the only one of the 15 forwards who can go up and down from the NHL to the American Hockey League without having to clear waivers. Most NHL teams carry no more than 14 forwards and carry at least seven defensemen on a regular basis. The Predators could do the same if they re-assigned Radulov to Milwaukee for a longer term, but Coach Barry Trotz likes the current setup. "There really isn't a downside to sending (Radulov) to Milwaukee, but there are a lot of times we want him in the lineup here, and he can play at a very high role," Trotz said. Radulov has played in just three of Nashville's last eight games, and has seen as many as nine minutes ice time during that stretch only once. "If he was only playing five minutes per night, I think we'd definitely send him down," Trotz said. "But if he's playing about 12 minutes per night, that's probably the same as playing 20 a game (in the AHL)." Radulov is currently back on Nashville's roster after Klein was re-assigned to Milwaukee on Wednesday. Klein had been recalled on Tuesday as a precautionary move because Kimmo Timonen had the flu. But Timonen was able to play on Tuesday, and the hand injury Timonen suffered in Tuesday's game is unlikely to keep him out of tonight's game against Phoenix.