I was talking to my father in law last week. He's not a scout, or hockey executive. He's just a fan of hockey like all of us. He's Russian, and he's been watching Russian hockey for many years.
I first asked him who he thought was better Michkov or Demidov. He said "Both are incredibly talented players. But if I had to choose one, I'd pick Demidov".
When I asked why, he said. "Demidov is the more complete player. Michkov may score more points. But in an important game, I'd rather have Demidov. His compete level is nothing like I've seen for many years".
When I asked him which current or former Russian player, was a good comparison to Demidov he replied. "He has some characteristics that remind me of Valeri Kharlamov"
For those of you too young to remember Kharlamov. I'd suggest you look him up on Youtube. He's considered to be one of top Russian born players of all time.
It's possible that the old guy had a few too many vodka shots. But I'm going to check out old clips of Kharlamov. To see if I see any similarities.