When Mikhail Grabovsky first learned that his good friend Nicholas Kulemin intention to try nhl Trying to return this fall Ottawa SenatorsHis reaction was heard in the hockey world as well.
wait.
What?
“I’m a little surprised,” Grabowski said. Athletic this week. “But then I looked at his legs and I said, ‘Oh, maybe he can still do it.’ He’s a machine.”
That’s a tall order, considering Kuleminen has been a force to reckon with for two decades in professional hockey. Consider that it’s been nearly seven years since his last game. New York Islanders in November 2017 and his preseason debut for the Senators over the weekend — and only 10 skaters his age (38) or older managed to play in the NHL last season.
Kulemin spent the past six seasons earning a decent living at home in Russia and received multiple offers to remain in the KHL, but he opted to head into uncharted territory.
Just as family concerns originally drove his decision to leave the NHL — a chance to play for hometown Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2018 came with the added benefit of moving his two children to the city where their grandparents lived — it’s another family event that has put him on the path to what he hopes will be an unexpected second move to North America.
Kulemin’s son, Alex, is an aspiring hockey player and is expected to join the OHL in the coming months. The opportunity to spend his draft year playing AAA for the Don Mills Flyers in the Greater Toronto Hockey League was a great fit for the family.
“I decided this year that I want my son to play here in Canada,” Nikolay Kulemin explained. Athletic“It’s a good level of hockey. The game is faster here, it’s a little different than Russia. Teams have less players, so it’s like only three lines of forwards and at home it’s like four lines. It’s a little more exciting, a little more ice time, so it’s going to be something new for him.”
Nikolay Kulemin played his last NHL game on Nov. 7, 2017. (Jerome Miron/USA Today)
The only challenging part of this equation is that he was not ready to say goodbye to his playing career just yet.
So with his wife Natasha, who was committed to take care of the kids in Toronto, Kulemin sought opportunity in the NHL — eventually getting a PTO from a Senators team that was looking for more competitive culture-setting veterans. It certainly didn’t hurt that Ottawa’s senior vice-president of hockey operations Dave Poulin had a positive view of Kulemin’s notoriously strong work ethic and fitness level, thanks to a 15-year relationship with him. Toronto Maple Leafs,
Though that opened the door a bit, Kulemin’s PTO offered no promises other than a plane ticket to camp, a hotel room to sleep in and a $132 per day stipend for incidental expenses.
The uphill climb he faces to make it onto the NHL roster was only underscored by the fact that Kulemin was part of the group sent to Toronto for Sunday’s exhibition opener. The Senators chose a “B” team composed of AHL-level talent and junior players, a game they won 6-5 in overtime. Kulemin picked up an assist, while perhaps more importantly, he wasn’t on the ice for either goal.
In these early days of training camp, there hasn’t been much conversation with the management or coaching staff about what they want. Their focus is simply on preparing themselves for the challenge.
“Just play my best and show I can still do this,” Kulemin said. “Still produce. Still keep up with all these young players and the speed of the game.”
During his 10-year NHL career, he was known as an honest two-way forward who could win puck battles along the wall and serve as a steady presence on the line. Even during a 30-goal, 57-point campaign with the Maple Leafs in 2010-11 — a season he now cites as the highlight of his career because of how seamlessly things clicked with Clarke MacArthur and Grabovski — Kulemin’s game didn’t have much spark.
“He’s always been reliable,” Grabowski said.
Mikhail Grabovsky and Nikolai Kulemin celebrate a goal in 2011. (John E. Sokolowski / USA Today)
Over the past three years with Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL, you can track Kulemin’s performance, which includes 14, 13 and 13 goals and 27, 28 and 25 points, respectively.
“I try to prepare myself every year,” Kulemin said. “Just stay in good shape in the summer. Just keep training and rest less every year. To be a professional you have to take every little thing seriously. You have to live it. You have to train. You have to rest well. You have to eat well.
“There is no mystery about it.”
It remains to be seen whether this is the end of the road or the opening of a new door.
The Senators are looking at the situation with an open mind and if Kulemin doesn’t find one of the 23 available roster spots in Ottawa by opening night, they could consider giving him a chance to join AHL Belleville. However, it’s not yet clear if he’d be up for that.
While some may wonder why he would attempt a return to the NHL after so long, Kulemin insisted he wouldn’t be at the Senators training camp if he wasn’t serious about winning the job.
And he has a longtime friend who believes he can still serve if he is assigned to the right role and evaluated under the right circumstances.
“At this age, he already has a lot of experience and calmness,” Grabowski said. “You just come and do your best. The coach tells you how many minutes you play and you do that. I think Cully already knows he’s not going to score 30 goals in a season, right?
“He just needs to be a fourth-line player.”
Even if he succeeds in doing so, he will overcome many obstacles.
(Top photo courtesy of the Ottawa Senators)