The Isles handled last year poorly for this kid.
He came over from Russia to play at UConn so clearly he wanted to make it in the NHL. Considering the production on the Isles’ bottom 6, a cup of coffee on the Island during the regular season would’ve been the right move. Alternatively, they could’ve traded him for another asset.
Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose. Frankly, I always felt his size would hold him back from succeeding in the NHL. Bad asset management when it’s all said and done.
The Isles didn't tell him to leave UCONN and go play in Finland, although that was during the pandemic and he definitely got a lot more playing time there that season than he'd have gotten by sticking around in the shortened college season.
And they certainly didn't tell him to follow that by playing in the German DEL. That shocked many as it's considered a step down, even if the team he signed with was one of the best on paper and was playing in the Champions Hockey League, which was of importance in his decision.
Once the Isles got him over to Bridgeport, he was more professionally developed than most prospects his age.
He has since be spoonfed with prime minutes on the farm, even if for a team that has been lousy. This past season, he got to pretty much be the go-to guy.
We don't know if he's signing with the KHL team yet, but I'm not sure how the Isles handled him poorly?
He's always been a headstrong prospect (already played in Slovakia as a teenager and had made an early decision to leave Eastern Europe to play college hockey). He's really a young man of the world. I mean, in his own right, he's very unique, good with languages, and is always ready to not be static.
And I think that's what we'll be seeing if he jumps over to the KHL.
His camp will be seeing another season with this organization without a guaranteed NHL spot as being static. And there ain't no way you can tell him right now that he's an everyday NHLer.
I'll say this - we retain his rights until he's 27. Probably the best thing that could happen, if indeed his jumps over, is for him to have an absolutely killer season in the KHL. I mean, let's hope he'd go 20-45-65 and be a key figure.
Because that'll mean that either he's taking that next step to truly being an option for us or he's turning himself into a more pliable trading chip.
He'll be 24 in two weeks.