Kulemin says his son's development led him to PTO with Senators
Published
Veteran forward Nikolay Kulemin has revealed his reasoning for signing a PTO with the Ottawa Senators after six seasons in the KHL.
Kulemin told TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston in The Athletic that a focus on his son's hockey development led him back to North America.
“I decided this year that I wanted my son to play here in Canada,” said Kulemin, who noted his son will play AAA in Toronto this season. “It’s a good level of hockey. It’s a fast game here, it’s a little different than Russia. Teams have less players, so it’s like only three lines of forwards and back home it’s four lines. It’s a little more exciting, a little more ice time, so it’s going to be something new for him to go through.”
The 38-year-old forward was a surprise addition to the Senators training camp roster earlier this month. He last played in the NHL during the 2017-18 season, skating in just 13 games with the New York Islanders.
Kulemin joined Magnitogorsk Metallurg the following season as part of an extended stay in the Kontinental Hockey League. He had 13 goals and 25 points in 46 games with Ufa Salavat Yulayev last season.
He made his Senators debut in Sunday's preseason opener on Sunday, posting an assist and finishing plus-1 in a 6-5 overtime victory over the team that drafted him in 2006, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Just show my best and show that I still can do it,” Kulemin said of his goals for camp with the Senators. “Still can produce. Still can keep up with all of these young guys and the speed [of the game].”
A veteran of 669 games over 10 seasons with the Maple Leafs and Islanders, Kulemin has 121 goals and 274 points over his NHL career.