[gvitaly]

Gonchar did an in-depth interview in Russian recently, and I figured some of you might like it.

For the ones that care only about Flames content, I made a slightly more accurate version than Google Translate.

Kuzmenko

— What happened with the Canucks and Andrei Kuzmenko? A brilliant first season with 39 goals and 74 points, followed by a sharp decline, a lot of games as a healthy scratch, and a trade to Calgary.

This season, we began to emphasize the team’s performance within the system, in particular in the defensive zone. Andrei is a more creative offensive player, focused on generating offense and creating goals. This season, he had to focus on defensive details in addition to generating offense, which wasn't always easy for him.

Some players have been playing structured hockey within a system all their lives, as a result they can adapt to a new system very quickly. It was more difficult for Kuzmenko, since he is already a mature player and has developed different hockey habits/instincts. We must give him credit, he did a great job. He tried and did everything to complete the hockey-tasks we gave him during a game. He worked his tail off, so there were no complaints against him in that regard. But, perhaps, it was difficult for him to combine the strict execution of the defensive details with a vibrant offensive game, while producing at a high level.

I think he will be just fine in the NHL. Eventually, he will put it all together. I hope everything will work out well for Andrey in Calgary. Here he had to go through quite the adaption, and rebuild his game, which resulted in his production dropping.

— Your friend and long-time teammate in Dynamo and Washington, Andrei Nikolishin, said that Kuzmenko wanted to adapt to Tocchet’s requirements, but simply couldn't.

I wouldn't say it quite as harshly/definitively: “that he simply couldn't”. It’s just that, when a person is not an 18-20 year-old rookie, but 28, he has already developed a certain skill-set, and takes a little longer to adapt. But as a whole, Nikolishin was right — Kuzmenko definitely tried. I want him to absorb these defensive details, so that over time they become a second nature for him. This will help him in his career, because hockey is a team game. If he combines them with his excellent individual qualities, he can have a long and successful NHL career.

— When Tocchet first came to Vancouver last season, he first moved Kuzmenko from the first to the third line — but Kuzmenko continued to score and soon won his place back at the top of the lineup. Were there such strict defensive requirements for the system back then?

No, Rick started implementing his system right away. But you can’t change everything all at once; everything needs to be done gradually, in doses. The lines were changed, we tried different combinations. It was a typical process associated with the arrival of a new coach.

— Do you find any similarities between Kuzmenko’s situations on two different teams where you worked — Vancouver and the Russian Olympic team in Beijing? There, too, the demands of Alexei Zhamnov and your staff did not coincide with the forward’s playing style, and he, remaining scratched, chose to return to St. Petersburg.

The Olympics is a short tournament, and it was necessary to adapt quickly, which is not always possible (mentally it is hard to do mid-season). I think that in Vancouver, Andrei was more ready for the change and wanted it more. He put in a lot more work on the defensive side with Vancouver than he did with the national team.

Zadorov
— Do you, as a former defender, work with Nikita Zadorov?

Yes, we talk about the game details. I'm selecting game video for him to watch to emphasize those. AC Adam Foote works with him more than I do on a daily basis

— Is it true that Zadorov is not as focused on hitting as in his first seasons in the NHL, when he broke records in that category?

I wouldn't say that. Nikita performs enough power moves; you can't say that he became a different defender and has stopped hitting. Or that he is instructed to stop hitting. He reacts according to the game situation, performs the task we outline — but in essence he does not change his game, and we aren't trying to change him. It’s just that there are fewer hits in the NHL right now. The forwards have become faster and smaller. Most importantly, timing is everything, hits need to come at the right time.

— Can we say that Zadorov adapted to Vancouver after the trade smoothly?

You have to ask him himself, but in principle — yes. Nikita understands our game requirements and mostly fulfills them. At first, as he was adapting, there were some mistakes, but they happen to everyone. You can’t play 82 games at the same level, especially after you join a new team. I like that he tries, cares and does everything to get his game better.

That's it for Flames content, but there's a lot more, so hopefully you enjoy the read.