A fresh start seems to have worked wonders for Edmonton Oilers forward Klim Kostin.
Acquired from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenceman Dmitri Samorukov in October, Kostin, 23, is finding his way with the Oilers since being called up from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL following a wrist injury to winger Evander Kane.
A former first-round pick of the Blues — 31st overall — in 2017, Kostin has two goals and six points in 20 games with the Oilers, who defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 on Tuesday and travel to face the Seattle Kraken on Friday.
“I think he’s somebody that I didn’t know much about when he first came into our organization,” said Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft following practice Wednesday. “He went to Bakersfield with a good attitude, worked on his game, waited for his opportunity and since he’s come into the fold, in that game in Florida, I think he’s had an impact.
“What’s interesting about him, he’s different than some of the other players we’ve had in the organization in terms of the dimension he brings to the team.”
Kostin has solidified a spot on the right side of the Oilers’ third line with centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Mattias Janmark. Kostin has displayed the skill, which made him a first-round pick, and adds a physical element to the lineup.
“Everything has been good,” Kostin said. “It wasn’t tough coming in here, things have been really good since I arrived. This is a good opportunity for me — the Oilers have given me a chance, so I’m going to try and do my best and try to contribute to the team.”
Kostin played 40 games with the Blues last season, scoring four goals and collecting nine points. When acquired by the Oilers, the product of Penza, Russia, was assigned to the Condors, where he had two goals and four points in nine games.
“I really didn’t feel a lot of pressure after the draft, it really didn’t concern me, but here, it’s been really easy to show your best game, because the fans here are fantastic,” Kostin said. “I love playing in front of them. When you play at home, they give you some energy and they help you get up for the game. Once you step on the ice and see the crowd, it’s great and you understand you need to play at 100 per cent to try and win the game for them.”
Since being called up to play with the Oilers, getting into the last of a four-game road trip at the Florida Panthers in early November, he has averaged just under 10 minutes of ice time per game.
Kostin has proven to be reliable at both ends of the ice.
“He’s found a little bit of a niche here by playing simple, straight forward, and direct. He’s a big man, who goes hard to the net,” Woodcroft said. “He should feel good about where his game is at.”
At six-foot-three and 215 pounds, Kostin is a load to handle physically. He creates a lot of room for Nugent-Hopkins and Janmark to operate, which has been a welcome addition, particularly in the absence of Kane, who sustained a scary laceration to his wrist on Nov. 8 in a 3-2 win at the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“He’s a huge man, so he’s being encouraged to play a certain way, and sometimes you need a different opportunity and a fresh set of eyes to maybe find your way,” Woodcroft said. “For our team here, we have a certain need and he’s helping fulfil that need.”
Kostin also is enjoying playing on a team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. He feels just practicing with two of the best players in the league is helping his game.
“It’s a big advantage for me to be on the ice with them every day and learn from them. It’s been really good,” Kostin said. “I still can’t believe McDavid is human. In my opinion, he’s the best player in the world, and I can’t explain his game with words, he’s just insane.”
As a Russian player, Kostin is also keeping a close watch on the exploits of countryman Alex Ovechkin, who passed Gordie Howe in the all-time goal scoring race and is chasing down Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin, 37, has 802 career goals and is 92 goals away from Gretzky’s all-time record.
“It’s good to see that a Russian player could be one of the greatest goal scorers of all time, not counting Connor McDavid,” Kostin smiled. “He’s a legend and I hope he can beat Gretzky’s record, that would be amazing. I know him personally and his mentality is that he wants to be the best, he wants to be the best every day and at every practice and that’s the important thing.”
Email: dvandiest@postmedia.com
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