Prospect Info: Anton Silayev (LD - #10 Overall - Round 1 - 2024 Draft)

My3Sons

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Silayev signing now would be very nice because his cap hit would be $60k lower in 2026-27 if he signed now and stayed in Russia for 2 seasons, but I know that sort of transaction is complicated to work out how that works with the Russian team - they managed it with Mukhamadullin.
Mukh was a a sign and loan. If Silayev has a deal right now he can’t have a second one but I guess they can terminate his current one and substitute an ELC if they wanted to? My guess is they just leave it alone for now and we see him in 2 or 3 seasons. Maybe after a KHL playoff run he signs an ATO to play a few games with Utica while we wait?
 
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Bad Goalie

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Mukh was a a sign and loan. If Silayev has a deal right now he can’t have a second one but I guess they can terminate his current one and substitute an ELC if they wanted to? My guess is they just leave it alone for now and we see him in 2 or 3 seasons. Maybe after a KHL playoff run he signs an ATO to play a few games with Utica while we wait?
How can he sign an Amateur Tryout if he is playing pro hockey in Russia. Maybe I am wrong about how I view ATOs and PTOs?
 

My3Sons

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How can he sign an Amateur Tryout if he is playing pro hockey in Russia. Maybe I am wrong about how I view ATOs and PTOs?
Maybe it's a PTO? My only point was that he's going to play in the KHL for a couple of more years but there is that short window after the KHL season ends to play a few AHL games to get his feet wet. Some sort of tryout arrangement is how they'd have to style it but who knows if that is available. I think Holtz did that sort of thing his first foray over to North America after an SHL season? We will see. Way too early to really worry about.
 
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Nubmer6

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A bit of an iso of Silayev from the 3 on 3 games.

I keep looking at this video thinking he has a really strange looking build. At first, I thought it was because he has really skinny legs or something. I finally figured out what looks so odd to me.

His jersey is too short (or he's too tall for it).
 

Devils731

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Brodeur

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Sounds positive. One negative is that Grits was potentially coming over in early April but now it sounds like their season may end closer to May. Colossus I think would benefit from his 2 years remaining so no need to try and get him over sooner.

Interesting, I wonder if they can push Gritsyuk's mandatory one year ELC for 2024-25 if we don't need him as a black ace for the playoffs.

But it might just be the price of doing business to get him over here. Minnesota signed Kirill Kaprizov in July 2020 and had the first year start immediately but they didn't dress him as they were swept in the playoffs in August. Ditto with Nikita Gusev when he signed with Vegas in spring 2019.
 

Ripshot 43

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Interesting, I wonder if they can push Gritsyuk's mandatory one year ELC for 2024-25 if we don't need him as a black ace for the playoffs.

But it might just be the price of doing business to get him over here. Minnesota signed Kirill Kaprizov in July 2020 and had the first year start immediately but they didn't dress him as they were swept in the playoffs in August. Ditto with Nikita Gusev when he signed with Vegas in spring 2019.
What is the rule? Does the player have to be on our active roster by the trade deadline to be eligible for playoffs?
 

Brodeur

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What is the rule? Does the player have to be on our active roster by the trade deadline to be eligible for playoffs?

As long as he's on our reserve list (previously drafted/acquired) before the deadline, he could sign after the deadline and be eligible for the playoffs. Basically the same boat as with Luke signing in April 2023 and he got in a few playoff games.


But definitely a bit harder for a KHL guy especially if he's coming over in May. Gusev signed with Vegas who were already two games into their opening round series. Gusev joined them for practice but I don't think they ever came close to inserting him into game action; They were eliminated in the first round, but I kinda doubt they would have played him if they had advanced.
 
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Devil made me do it

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When you watch tape of him from a random game, one thing that stands out to me is how quick and assertive he is.
We know he is a great skater in a large body but the way he moves, there is quickness to his game and he is actively involved in the play and doesn't just stand around. That really caught my attention.
It's crucial for a shutdown defenseman to have awareness and be proactively agressive on the defensive end. He has it. Again, he moves surprisingly quick.

 

devilsblood

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When you watch tape of him from a random game, one thing that stands out to me is how quick and assertive he is.
We know he is a great skater in a large body but the way he moves, there is quickness to his game and he is actively involved in the play and doesn't just stand around. That really caught my attention.
It's crucial for a shutdown defenseman to have awareness and be proactively agressive on the defensive end. He has it. Again, he moves surprisingly quick.


Ya, having watched some draft analysis, his start stop quickness was definitely a point of emphasis.

Though from what I saw in the small ice he seemed reluctant to really flaunt that ability. Felt like he needed more room to get his game going.......or maybe he just didn't want to smash the little guys.
 

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One thing i feel is important about Silayev is not to understate his skating ability. “He skates well for a big man” is something we see pretty regularly these days, including about Kevin Bahl (for whom this is absolutely true).

But Silayev is at least one level above that. His skating looks excellent period, and his size is the secondary factor. A 6’1” skater moving like Silayev would still look like a brilliant skater, which is NOT common. And he’s clearly comfortable leading a rush which is pretty insane for a teenager in the KHL with his size. Not hard to see why so many scouts rave about his potential.
 

Ripshot 43

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One thing i feel is important about Silayev is not to understate his skating ability. “He skates well for a big man” is something we see pretty regularly these days, including about Kevin Bahl (for whom this is absolutely true).

But Silayev is at least one level above that. His skating looks excellent period, and his size is the secondary factor. A 6’1” skater moving like Silayev would still look like a brilliant skater, which is NOT common. And he’s clearly comfortable leading a rush which is pretty insane for a teenager in the KHL with his size. Not hard to see why so many scouts rave about his potential.
If Silayev remains a defensive defenseman the way we see today he will be well worth the 10th overall pick. If he develops an offensive touch, he’s going to make many teams in front of us look silly for passing on him.
 

Hisch13r

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One thing i feel is important about Silayev is not to understate his skating ability. “He skates well for a big man” is something we see pretty regularly these days, including about Kevin Bahl (for whom this is absolutely true).

But Silayev is at least one level above that. His skating looks excellent period, and his size is the secondary factor. A 6’1” skater moving like Silayev would still look like a brilliant skater, which is NOT common. And he’s clearly comfortable leading a rush which is pretty insane for a teenager in the KHL with his size. Not hard to see why so many scouts rave about his potential.

Yeah he's an elite skater and was arguably the best skater in his class. I said earlier I think his skating is more standout than the size
 
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Hisch13r

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If Silayev remains a defensive defenseman the way we see today he will be well worth the 10th overall pick. If he develops an offensive touch, he’s going to make many teams in front of us look silly for passing on him.

I don't even think his actual puck skills are bad. Like sure they're not great or anything but they definitely get the job done. It's more that he generally just doesn't seem to think about offense at all when he's out there. He either throws a shot on net or sends the puck to his D partner. I think a realistic best case for Silayev is like an early Parayko. A massive guy who skates incredibly well and is elite defensively. Still drives offense very well and chipped in 35 pts. A more reasonable best case probably Parayko after those first few years and before the back injury that caused him to decline from the elite level. He was still one of the best defensive Dmen in the league but the offense had dropped down. Him being anywhere close to those first 5 years of Parayko is a special piece

 
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Ripshot 43

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I don't even think his actual puck skills are bad. Like sure they're not great or anything but they definitely get the job done. It's more that he generally just doesn't seem to think about offense at all when he's out there. He either throws a shot on net or sends the puck to his D partner. I think a realistic best case for Silayev is like an early Parayko. A massive guy who skates incredibly well and is elite defensively. Still drives offense very well and chipped in 35 pts. A more reasonable best case probably Parayko after those first few years and before the back injury that caused him to decline from the elite level. He was still one of the best defensive Dmen in the league but the offense had dropped down. Him being anywhere close to those first 5 years of Parayko is a special piece


Early on I wanted Parayko on our team. If that became true then I would be ecstatic. The major hurdle we often see for tall skaters is their mobility. With that actually being a plus for this kid, makes me feel like we could have something special in him. Again, I feel like if he had continued to put up points and didn’t have the drop off last season, he would’ve been a top 3 pick.
 

Hisch13r

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Early on I wanted Parayko on our team. If that became true then I would be ecstatic. The major hurdle we often see for tall skaters is their mobility. With that actually being a plus for this kid, makes me feel like we could have something special in him. Again, I feel like if he had continued to put up points and didn’t have the drop off last season, he would’ve been a top 3 pick.

If he continued to put up pts then he would've challenged Celebrini for 1. Silayev isn't a case of the pts drying up and his offense being underrated though. Silayev's a case of catching some puck luck and his offense initially getting overrated because of it. After the pts dried up and he provided basically no offense the rest of the way that hype cooled on him. He's much more of a shutdown guy who has the talent to transition the puck than a true two way guy who can chip in like 40-50 pts. He could potentially get there but that's a lofty projection. Tbf Nikishin also wasn't expected to provide much offense and his offense exploded after he was drafted and he looks poised to be an absolute monster for Carolina but also comparing D-1 MHL production Nikishin had 2x the PPG Silayev did
 

TBF1972

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Man I'm still fired up about this. I just love this pick. I think those of you that are super down on it got married to the idea of certain prospects that were more commonly expected to still be available. Maybe Buium is as good of a prospect, but I don't think you can say for sure he's better.

The Mukhamdullin comparison is lazy, but one key reason I loved that pick as well was that you're talking about a D that played a real role on a KHL team at 17. That alone along with the size and skating is an awesome combination. I really think in 3 years we're going to be watching him swallow up offenses trying to establish possession in the zone and in time, dominating on the PK. The offensive worries are overblown. He has the skill to get the puck up ice and that's good enough to be an excellent defenseman.

They're not perfect analogies, but I truly think Silayev will be to Hughes and Nemec what Hjalmarsson was to Keith and Seabrook or even Daneyko was to Neids and Stevens. Past when our star forwards are aging out of their primes, these three D are going to carry our team on their backs.
i hope he turns into what slavin was for hamilton (or casey in the future)
or what slavin was with pesce to protect a lead (or nemec in the future)

and slavin is not even the best case scenario. (a devils fan can dream)
 

JK3

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Looking at those full game clips he needs to get comfortable with having the puck on his stick, be a little more patient and take that extra second to chose the right play. Seems like anytime he's got the puck in the D zone it’s like holy shit get this thing away from me. He just chucks it to a team mate whether they’re open or not, off the wall or rims it around. There were some nice little passing plays when moving up ice though.

What really has me excited is his ability to skate so well backwards and be in perfect position. With that skating and reach he covers the entirety of his side of the rink from the red line into the d zone and just gobbles everyone up, holy crap, you can’t get past him.
 

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