Last nights game did not change my opinion of Nikitin, one way or another. History is proving that 11/12 was a fluke. Nikitin isn't a bad player, he's just expendable and I really wouldn't want to pay for the raise that is coming if I were the GM.
Not sure why you have a chip on your shoulder about Nikitin. Beyond being an obvious trade candidate (more a numbers game than actual performance), his resume as a whipping boy is pretty weak compared to other Jackets players.
Over the last 5 games Nikitin has scored 4 points... None of them were on the power-play. He almost doesn't play on the power-play any more. This whole team is full of forwards with all the PP opportunities in the world who can't score anything. And yet some "fans" tell me that Nikitin doesn't belong in the NHL. I can't remember a whole page of ridiculous complains about one single play, which wasn't even that terrible. The whole team sucked that night. That was like a gloom and doom parade.
Nikitin, like everyone, has his good and bad moments, his skating is not impressive, he stays behind the play sometimes (not time after time). But his first outlet pass is the best on the team. No one can cut off most of the opposition players with the first pass as good as him. He's doing it on a regular basis and recently we are getting rewarded - the goals in Boston and Calgary happened because Nikitin can pass the puck through forecheckers, he sees the lines, he knows how to do it. Some of his passes were just spectacular. He didn't get an assist on that play, but his pass through the air and 3 zones right on Vinny's stick was a thing of beauty:
The Jackets haven't lost a point because of Nikitin's play. They would have had 3 points less without him.
I like Nikitin and Murray the most cause their hockey IQ is highest on the team, they are smart guys. But Murray knows what he can do and doing it, while Nikitin's skating and instincts sometimes leave him behind. Reminds me of myself in juniors and that's why I take everything about him almost personally. I'm pulling for the guy cause he was able to make it that far and I'm OK with reasonable complains about his play, I also agree he's the most obvious choice to get traded. But saying he doesn't belong in the league is just stupid.