Klim Kostin stole the show Thursday. He gave honest and direct answers about his former team, said he cares about what fans write on social media and even teased a reporter.
"I think the fans don't like your questions, hey, on the Twitter? I saw that. You need to change something," he told Jim Matheson when the Postmedia writer asked if he still watched St. Louis games.
Kostin said he reads Twitter before bed to see what people are saying about him and the Edmonton Oilers, because "we're all like a big team."
"I just saw the fans don't like your questions, guys. So you need to think about it," he said with a laugh. "I don't care. If I have an answer, I'll answer it, you know. If I understand the questions, it's already good for me."
He said Oilers fans have been mostly nice, but he "saw some haters too."
Kostin will face the team that drafted and then traded him after a total of 46 games, the St. Louis Blues, for the first time as an Oiler on Thursday night.
He was asked if he enjoyed playing there: "Yeah, kinda, sometimes."
When asked what he didn't like about St. Louis: "Nah, it's a secret, eh," he said with a laugh.
He was asked why it didn't work out there: "I don't have an answer. You need to ask coaching staff in St. Louis."
Kostin said he's "really enjoying" Edmonton and was asked why that is.
"Maybe just 'cause of really good team, really good hockey players here, really good coaching staff…They come with a smile in the morning," he said.
'HE REPRESENTS A DIFFERENT DIMENSION'
Head Coach Jay Woodcroft is also happy Kostin is in Edmonton.
He praised the big Russian forward's demeanor and play since he was traded for defenceman Dmitri Samorukov on Oct. 9.
"He went down to Bakersfield with a great attitude. An attitude to work on his game and try to find his way back to the NHL," Woodcroft said.
After four points in nine games, Kostin was recalled from the AHL on Nov. 9 and has four points in 14 games with the Oilers.
He recorded a "Gordie Howe hat trick" against the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 7 when he scored a goal, added an assist and fought former Oilers' tough guy Zack Kassian.
"He represents a different dimension than what we have here in Edmonton. He's a huge man that plays a fairly simple, straightforward game," Woodcroft said.
"He's at his best when he's going north and gets physical. He's given us some real good minutes, so he's been a positive addition to our team."
Kostin said he didn't meet up with any former Blues teammates in Edmonton because, "I just slept all day. I was busy," he said with a laugh.
Whether playing the Blues, or any other team, Kostin said his focus right now is on establishing himself as an NHL player.
"I just want to prove to myself that [the Blues] were wrong, you know? I don't want to prove to anyone, just to myself."
The Oilers (17-13) play the Blues (13-15-1) at Rogers Place at 7 p.m. MT.
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