Underappreciated

There were a number of Winnipeg Jets who went unappreciated or underappreciated during the original Jets' days. The names are likely ones where people will say, "Oh yeah, HIM!" as stories are told about those players, but one such player was defenceman Sergei Bautin. Drafted 17th-overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, the Jets were in their Russian player phase with the likes of Bautin, Alexei Zhamnov, Evgeny Davydov, and Igor Ulanov all playing significant minutes in the 1992-93 season. Bautin was one of Mike Smith's supposed gems from Russia and I suspect he's far underappreciated for what he did in Winnipeg, but he's being mentioned here today because Sergei Bautin passed away on New Year's Eve at the age of 55 after a a lengthy illness related to an oncological disease. Rest in peace, Sergei.

He certainly didn't skate like Zubov. He didn't have the hands of a Fedorov or a Kozlov. He wasn't as defensively sound as Fetisov. Sergei Bautin was his own player who could play somewhat physically while providing a touch of offence to go along with fairly reliable defending. He only spent parts of two seasons in Winnipeg before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings, but his rookie season saw him score seven goals and add 18 helpers in 71 contests, so it was pretty clear to see that he could play the game at a high level.

One of those goals came on November 24, 1992 as the Jets hosted the New York Islanders, and I hope that Bautin kept this puck.
Despite the guy calling the highlights absolutely missing on Bautin's name, Sergei Bautin's first NHL goal came against Mark Fitzpatrick at 15:53 of the third period to put the Jets up 3-2 in an eventual 3-3 tie with the Islanders. Darrin Shannon and Alexei Zhamnov picked up assists on his goal, and you can see he was paired with Teppo Numminen on that play as the veteran Finnish defender was helping the young Russian navigate NHL blue lines. Bautin's next goal came nearly one month later in a 4-3 loss to Calgary on December 23, 1992. His third goal? You guessed it - one month later on January 23, 1993 in an 8-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers!

Weird goal-scoring schedules aside, Bautin was traded with goaltender Bob Essensa to Detroit on March 8, 1994 in exchange for goaltender Tim Cheveldae and forward Dallas Drake. At the time, both players were struggling through the 1993-94 season, and getting Cheveldae and a fiesty, young Drake seemed to invigorate the Jets and their fanbase. Bautin, meanwhile, struggled to supplant any of the high-flying Red Wings defenders, and spent the rest of the season watching from the pressbox after playing just one game in the Winged Wheel jersey.

Bautin spent the 1994-95 season with the AHL's Adirondack Red Wings where he scored ten assists in 32 games, but his lack of playing time combined with his NHL salary made him expendable for the Red Wings. He would sign with the San Jose Sharks in the offseason and spend just one game with the Sharks before being sent to the IHL's Kansas City Blades where he would finish the 1995-96 season.

Bautin finished his career in Europe, playing two seasons for Lulea in the SHL, one season with Ak Bars Kazan in the Russian SuperLeague, one season in the DEL with the Nuermberg Ice Tigers, and a last season back in Russia with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The 1992 Olympic gold medalist officially retired from the game of hockey in 2004, turning to coaching youth hockey in the US and Japan before returning to Russia where he lived quietly until his passing.

I'll be honest: I didn't think he was a great defender by any means, but Bautin being drafted by the Jets marked one of the first times that Russian-born players were able to move freely to the NHL with the Soviet Union having crumbled in 1991. As seen with the four Jets players and their compatriots in Detroit who took that team to new heights, the NHL saw a wave of Russian players being selected at NHL Entry Drafts and being signed by teams as teams sought the best talent from behind the Iron Curtain.

Rest in peace, Sergei Bautin. You'll always be remebered as part of the Jets' class of Russian kids who had this city talking.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!