Prior to 2012, Filatov played in North America for the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

[1][2] During the 2007–08 season, Filatov made his professional Russian Superleague (RSL) debut with CSKA, seeing limited action in five games.

Sudbury General Manager Mike Foligno was comfortable with the risks of not knowing whether Filatov would play at junior or professional level when he came to North America.

Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson would not guarantee Filatov a place on their team, saying, "We've already told Nikita that we'll see how things go in training camp and we'll decide what's best for him.

Medvedev claimed that although the term of the contract had expired, under Russian law it did not terminate until an indemnity amount had been negotiated.

[7] The Blue Jackets and Filatov believed that giving his club 30 days notice was sufficient to terminate the contract.

[8] Filatov's contract was one of six reviewed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in an attempt to mediate the disputes between the KHL and NHL.

[16] Shortly after his return to Russia, Filatov set a KHL record by scoring the game-winning goal in three consecutive games.

[22] During the off-season, the Blue Jackets sent development coach Tyler Wright to Russia to train with Filatov to assess his readiness for the upcoming season, and to communicate the team's desire to work with him.

[24] After speaking with his friend Sergei Shirokov (who played for Arniel on the Manitoba Moose), Filatov was optimistic about working with Columbus's new head coach.

[20] At the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Columbus severed their ties with Filatov, trading him to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a third-round pick.

[27] Filatov left his family vacationing in the Dominican Republic and joined the Senators for their development camp at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.

Head coach Paul MacLean felt Filatov's struggles in the NHL were surprising, considering he had 12 points in 15 games in the AHL.

Stephen Whyno of The Globe and Mail identified him as one of the top five biggest "draft busts" in recent NHL history.

[20] After winning a seven-game series against Metallurg Magnitogorsk, the team was eliminated by Ak Bars Kazan, four games to three.

He had one assist in four postseason games,[20] as Torpedo lost in the first round to Gagarin Cup winners SKA Saint Petersburg.

[42] In the 2018–19 season, Filatov made a positive start to the campaign, posting 8 points in 15 games with Spartak before he was traded in a return to Salavat Yulaev Ufa in exchange for Artyom Fyodorov on November 16, 2018.

Russia won a gold medal in that tournament, and as an underaged player, Filatov contributed four goals and five assists in seven games.

[47] The AHL's Syracuse Crunch released Filatov to participate in the 2009 World Junior Championship held in Ottawa.

[52] After returning to Russia early in the 2009–10 season, Filatov had the opportunity to compete in a third World Junior Championship at the 2010 tournament held in Saskatchewan, Canada.

[55] Prior to the fifth place game against the Czech Republic, Filatov was stripped of his captaincy and replaced by teammate Kirill Petrov after criticizing the team personnel during a media scrum.

Sergei Nemchinov, head coach of Russia's national junior team, said of Filatov, "He definitely has an NHL upside because he can score, is a well-rounded player and is responsible in the defensive zone.

"[3] Independent scouting service Red Line Report at one point declared Filatov "the next best thing to Steven Stamkos" (who was eventually selected first overall in the 2008 Draft).

[15] Off the ice, Filatov does not train in a traditional gym or weight room, preferring to run outside in sand and lift objects such as trees and boulders.

[3] When he started playing professional hockey in North America for Syracuse, his mother stayed for several weeks to help him get acclimated to his new surroundings.