The outrage of us not picking Wright on here was worse than it is with Michkov right now. Anyone who criticized Wright or suggested the Habs consider anyone else was lambasted, called stupid, told that they were falling for media “hit pieces”, other teams were conspiring with the media to ensure he falls, on and on. All the same bullshit going on right now with Michkov.
This board was saying Wright has 100 point potential, he’s the franchise C we’ve been waiting years for, he’ll be the best forward the Habs have drafted since Lafleur - all kinds of crazy shit. The “generational” label was thrown around as well, just like it is now with Michkov.
I was personally called an idiot and told I was falling for narratives because I didn’t like his combine interviews and compete level. I stated I didn’t want the Habs to draft him and that I didn’t think he has star potential. People freaked out.
This fanbase is so starved for a superstar forward, that they repeatedly latch onto any player they think will be what they’re looking for and project all these superstar saviour traits onto them. It doesn’t matter what changes leading up to the draft or what scouts or the hockey community is saying after they have formed that narrative around the player, once their little hearts are set, there’s nothing that can sway them or criticize the Chosen One until hindsight is 20/20, and then it’s all swept under the rug and they begin it all again with a new player the next time the team is picking high.
I’m not saying anything definitive either way regarding Michkov other than that he’s got star potential. But for me, there are too many red flags that have nothing to do with him being Russian, and too many other high upside prospects available that aren’t going to come with a bunch of bullshit that I wouldn’t pick him. I think his potential is being significantly exaggerated on here due to the desperation for a saviour.
With respect, the red flags you listed in the previous post don't actually exist by any factual metric. They're essentially lies.
Want Michkov's Weaknesses?
-Sometimes watches the puck or gets lost in his zone while defending (keeping in mind he's 18 in a men's league)
-Not certain his high-end puck handling in a phone booth will work at the speed of the NHL level, but his other skills should translate
-Sometimes forces plays
Michkov is being touted as a superstar because he is doing superstar things. He's putting up generational numbers in the second best league in the world with all-world skills. When people look like they have generational talent, they don't fail in the NHL that often.
Wright was plateauing last year. There were legit concerns surrounding him. He was still my pick, and I found Slaf way more concerning (I had him 6th), but I would have been ok with Cooley or Jiricek or something. That's a little different than this whole narrative of Shane Wright being some kind of savior. I think this forum was mostly measured on their expectations for Wright, given the weak draft year.
The idea that the entire Habs fanbase other than Garbageyuk are a monolith that act like a group of idiots and tout rando skill players as the next savior is ridiculous.
This is not some random skill guy. This is a player that was touted as being neck-in-neck with Bedard his entire career. Ryan Leonard, Reinbarcher, and f***ing Dvorsky don't even come close to measuring up.
