Wellwood's World, Chapter 6: A Surprise Ending

It was only just yesterday that we reported the sad news that Kyle Wellwood's contract with the KHL's Atlant Moscow Oblant had been terminated. Word was that the club was unhappy with his performance and they had therefore decided to end the relationship.

But it turns out that's not all to the story, as Wellwood had his own reasons for wanting out of the contract: his wife, Bianca, is pregnant. From Atlant's website, (and then crudely translated by Google:)

Reason that prompted him to return [...] pregnant wife. Bianca, Franco-Canadian, is expecting a baby [in] four months. Kyle and Bianca lived in the town of Windsor. This is in Ontario, Canada - across the river from the American city of Detroit.

That certainly explains a lot. It might even explain why the characteristically checked-out Wellwood seemed to be playing even more lackadaisical than usual: he was homesick, and with good cause. Later in the interview, Wellwood admits, "It's hard to leave [my] wife in such important days without my attention."

Wellwood's World Chapter 5: Farewell Russia

The latest chapter in Kyle Wellwood's wild and weird world is a sad one. Dmitry Chesnokov of Puck Daddy is reporting that Atlant Moscow Oblast has released the pudgy playmaker from his contract. The news comes from Russian sports website sports.ru, which apparently broke the story, but the website resists my translation attempts (ie. it goes all weird and wonky when I try to use Google Translate), so I'm trusting Chesnokov's translation.

According to Chesnokov, the website reported that "the club management is not satisfied with the play of the 27 year old, and because of that a decision was made to end the relationship."

It seems likely that Atlant believed they were getting the diminutive dangler of 2005-07 rather than the dependable defensive presence of the current Wellwood incarnation. Wellwood only had 5 goals and 3 assists in his 25 games, but managed a +6 to go with his minimal point totals. Chesnokov also points out that he averaged a mere 8:39 in ice time per game.

Either that or they thought that in signing a hockey player from Canada, they were going to get a tough enforcer willing to drop the gloves at any moment. Wellwood had to dispel that notion in this interview:

Q: Are you ready to jump into the fray?

Wellwood: There is an image of a Canadian hockey player, but I do not like to fight. You could even say I can't.

Maybe that was the issue. Kyle just needed to be willing to drop the gloves. I'm guessing he didn't because he found the green Russian bandages embarrassing. Either way, his unwillingness to fight for his job left him without a job to fight for.

On the plus side, Kyle Wellwood is coming home.

Wellwood's World, Chapter 4: Wellwood Speaks!

When we last checked in with Kyle Wellwood, he had just signed a deal with Atlant Moscow of the KHL after failing to earn a contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. It was a bit of a bummer for PITB (genuine Wellwood fans that we are) but we purposed ourselves following Wellwood's career on the other side of the world. It's been easier said than done.

Wellwood's first season with Atlant began strongly. Coach Nikolai Borchevzky (formerly a Toronto Maple leaf, as celebrated at PPP) was playing Wellwood around 20 minutes a game, and he was enjoying top-six ice time. However, Borchevzky was fired in early October and replaced by Milos Riha, who had been fired by Spartak Moscow around the same time. Riha replaced the team's attacking style with a stricter, defensive structure. Wellwood has seen a considerable decrease in minutes, and is now back in a familiar place, skating in the bottom-six with limited minutes. In 20 games played, Wellwood has only 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist).

Who cares, though? PITB loves Kyle Wellwood because he's unique, and uniquely self-aware. His sheepishly, but candid personality is unique in hockey circles, and thankfully, his personality lives on, even in poorly translated Russian interviews. What follows are four Kyle Wellwood interviews, organized chronologically, in which he touches on everything from his adjustments to Russian life, women in the workplace, his former Canuck teammates, and the future of the NHL. This is must-read material.

Wellwood's World Chapter 3: To Russia with Love

If you follow Kyle Wellwood news as closely as we do (and why wouldn't you?), you will have already heard the sad news: our favorite Ayn-Rand-reading, no-TV-watching, no-minor-penalty-taking little warrior will be taking his talents to Mytischi to play for Atlant Moscow Oblast.

Despite a strong showing during the Phoenix Coyotes training camp, he was outplayed by top prospect Kyle Turris in the preseason, and could not earn himself a contract. He only managed 2 points in 5 games and in his final preseason game he had no points and was a -2. Turris, on the other hand, had 3 points in 4 games, with a goal and a +2 in his final game. It came down to Harrison's favorite word in regards to Wellwood: "results."

His one preseason goal was typically Wellwoodian, as he stick-handled the puck directly into the goal on the powerplay (goal at 0:19, replay at 1:26), which the boxscore generously labeled a wrist shot. Also available in that clip is a brief interview with Kyle at 0:55, as well as some praise from no less a source than Shane Doan at 1:14. Unfortunately, after this lofty day, Wellwood came crashing back to earth. With the signing of Eric Belanger, the spots on Phoenix's roster were limited, and they opted to go with the young prospect rather than the cagey vet.

It's hard to disagree with GM Don Maloney's decision, but it's also hard to see Kyle Wellwood's last chance to play in the NHL this season slip away. On the plus side, in the KHL he'll get a chance to skate alongside another former-Canuck oddball, Jan Bulis! The Kurtenblog accurately predicted that this would please us, as Atlant immediately becomes our favorite KHL team.

Wellwood will be the only Canadian on the roster, but not the only North American, as American Jeff Hamilton, who played 157 games in the NHL, has also reportedly signed with Atlant. Wellwood will easily slot into their top-six with Nikolai Zherdev leaving the team in the off-season for a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. In fact, Kyle could fit into the top line between top KHL scorer Sergei Mozyakin and Jan Bulis. Kyle's shiftiness and stickhandling skills will serve him well on the larger ice surface in the KHL and he should be able to rack up some sizable point totals and hopefully find his way back to the NHL next season.

We'll keep a close eye on Wellwood and Atlant throughout the season through the magic of Google Translate, unless we're able to find a legitimate translator to help us navigate Wellwood's new world.

Bulis Update!

As much as we love Jan Bulis here at PiTB!, I admit that I haven't kept up with his career post-Canucks. Turns out he's doing quite well for himself over in the KHL for Atlant Moscow Oblast. Sparked by this post over at Hockey or Die, which informed me that Bulis played on the top line for the top-5 hockey team, I looked into Jan's stats over at the Atlant Moscow Oblast website.

Last season, Bulis scored 43 points in 38 games, good enough to land him at 17 on the list of top scorers in the KHL. He also grew out his hair from the odd cueball look he sported in the NHL. He now looks significantly less weird.

Applying the same equivalency numbers Jonathan Willis used for Zherdev, Jan's season translates to these NHL numbers over an 82 game season:

82GP - 30G - 22A - 52PTS

While I sincerely doubt anyone in the NHL is paying attention to Jan Bulis right now and I equally doubt he's interested in going from a top line in the KHL to spot-second-line duty in the NHL, an equivalent 30 goal season is quite nice for the former piggybacking star.

Well done, Bulis, well done. We here at PiTB! wish you all the best in your upcoming season.