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

[Captain3rdLine]

You take Buium or Parekh and we're gonna have the same posters calling this defensive core too soft and too many of the same players. Both of those guys are good, I think Buium is a bit overrated but they have too many similar dmen in his mold already. And if people despised Year 1 Luke then yikes at seeing Parekh early on.

Buium and Parekh aren’t similar nor do we have a Buium. Personally think he shoulda have been a top 5 lock and could pretty quickly be a top 5-10 dman in the league.

 

[JrFischer54]

Huh who in the world has said this? If his development goes as expectant it’s 3 years max. Hopefully only 2

Well I read he’s got two years on khl contract. Going to doubt and not expect him to make the jump right to the nhl that’s year 3. I would figure 4th is his rookie year. Even staying 1 year in khl isn’t moving the needle for me

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

How good he’ll actually be is debatable

Just like basically every single other player available

 

[Saugus]

I'm amazed that the guy McKenzie had at #4 dropped all the way to 10.

I'll admit I wanted Buium or Dickinson at this spot, but I can't fault Fitz for taking a faller who we didn't expect to be available.

Hoping it works out for the best.

 

[Hisch13r]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5480091/2024/05/13/anton-silayev-nhl-draft-2024/

From May:
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I think some of this stuff is very charitable and would require a lot of projection but we don’t need all of that anyway

 

[Nubmer6]

From the Athletic first round draft grades (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5599237/2024/06/28/nhl-draft-2024-first-round-grades-analysis/):

10. New Jersey Devils: Anton Silayev, LHD, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)

April 11, 2006 | 6′ 7″ | 207 pounds

Tier: NHL All-Star

Player comparable: Zdeno Chara

Analysis: Silayev took a regular shift with power-play time on a KHL team this season as a 17-year-old and stood out for Torpedo in the KHL playoffs. When he went down to their junior team for their playoffs, he wasn’t as good as expected, although he was strong to end his year captaining Russia’s U20 team. He is a unique type of prospect who’s easy to dream on. He can play all situations and play on his off wing. Silayev is a 6-foot-7 defenseman who skates very well for his size. He has excellent footwork and a smooth stride, with strong four-way mobility. He closes gaps quickly on his check, plays a very physical brand of hockey and thus projects to be a premier shutdown type of defenseman in the NHL. He can skate pucks out of his zone well, makes a good first pass and shows strong hockey sense at the offensive blue line. Silayev has strong puck skills and can beat pro defensemen one-on-one often enough. His offensive play won’t blow you away, but it’s good enough to move pucks in the NHL and get points. He can be solid offensively to go with elite defensive play to be a potential No. 1 defenseman one day.

Pick grade: A

Thoughts on the pick: Silayev fell further than some expected in the draft, as teams were unfamiliar with him and had some offense concerns in his game. I didn’t share those concerns. I don’t see premier offense in his game, but I see enough with his size, mobility, and physicality for him to be a premier NHL defenseman.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Well I read he’s got two years on khl contract. Going to doubt and not expect him to make the jump right to the nhl that’s year 3. I would figure 4th is his rookie year. Even staying 1 year in khl isn’t moving the needle for me

So him not playing for that long was entirely based on your assumptions.

He may very well may be able to jump in right away after 3 seasons in the KHL. Most likely won’t need 2 seasons in the AHL to adjust.

 

[JrFischer54]

How has mukmahdali looked in San Jose? Trying to see if the khl scouts got that right

 

[Hisch13r]

A Nikishin type offensive jump sure would be something

 

[JrFischer54]

From the Athletic first round draft grades (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5599237/2024/06/28/nhl-draft-2024-first-round-grades-analysis/):

I’m fine with the pick rather have size then what the other options brought to the table. Just wish/hope he contributes here fast

 

[Oneiro]

Looking at the shift by shift, seems likable. Defensively, he certainly looks more polished than most kids his age. Even if he didn't have the size advantage, his habits are pretty good. He does seem allergic to keeping the puck on his stick, but it's not like the reads are wrong.

It's funny to lose Bahl and Marino and draft a hybrid of those two in the same month.

EDIT: Probably goes without saying but you can disregard the opinion of anybody saying this kid has no IQ. Not true in the slightest.

 

[Saugus]

For more context, I went back to McKenzie's write up and looked at what his scout panel had to say about Silayev:

Bob McKenzie's Final NHL Draft Ranking: Many attractive and diverse options after Macklin Celebrini | TSN

Silayev is repeatedly referred to as a “unicorn.”


There are no 6-foot-7 defencemen in this draft who move as well as him. There aren’t many 6-foot-7 defencemen on the planet who skate as well as this behemoth. He started the KHL season with a flourish, getting eight points in eight games, but his offensive output really dried up as the season wore on. The early comparisons to Victor Hedman have mostly faded, but the excitement over his future NHL prospects have not.


“At the end of the day, all that really matters is that he’s a 17-year-old who played regularly in the KHL and played well and showed he has all the tools be a shutdown NHL defender who can still skate and carry or pass a puck up the ice,” said a scout. “That’s a unicorn.”


“He’s going to be an elite defender,” another scout said. “A huge minute muncher. That and that alone provides huge value, but he’s not without some offensive ability, but it’s most definitely secondary.”


There are certainly defencemen in the group of six who have way more offensive upside than Silayev. And the Russian Factor could come into a play to some degree as well.


“No doubt, none of us have had eyes [live] on him, so that can complicate a decision,” a scout said. “We won’t ever have met him until we get to Las Vegas. And if you’re picking in the top five or 10 and you want a defenceman, you’ve got a whole bunch of really good ones who you have seen live and who you have talked to and know pretty much everything about.”


It doesn’t hurt that Silayev was coached by Hall of Famer Igor Larionov, who is accessible and well connected with NHL GMs, scouts and executive.

 

[JK3]

Hell yeah, perfectly fine with this.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1806855419794715072

 

[glenwo2]

From The Athletic...

Grade: A
Comp: Zdeno Chara
Tier: NHL All Star

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5599237/2024/06/28/nhl-draft-2024-first-round-grades-analysis/

 

[Rhodes 81]

Man I love this pick. I can't wait for this guy to eat minutes for us for a decade.

 

[devilsblood]

My only issue with the pick is I came in wanting the big fast fwd, or the center we could plug into the 3rd line in year. It's purely that I had become set on the "best fit" fwd.

But once the high end d-men fell, I have to make that adjustment. And of the 3, the huge, defensive fist, excellent skating physical lefty d-man, is probably the best fit.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I'm amazed that the guy McKenzie had at #4 dropped all the way to 10.

I'll admit I wanted Buium or Dickinson at this spot, but I can't fault Fitz for taking a faller who we didn't expect to be available.

Hoping it works out for the best.

Some of it has to do with scouts not being able to see him live due to the political climate currently in Russia.

How has mukmahdali looked in San Jose? Trying to see if the khl scouts got that right

He's looked amazing in the games he played late in the year and the Sharks fans think he'll be a regular next year

 

[MasterofGrond]

Devils blue line is going to be disgusting.

Please draft some forwards.

 

[Ripshot 43]

I guess this pick is ok, but I would’ve prefered us have picked a different player that I’ve never watched any games of.

 

[My3Sons]

My only issue with the pick is I came in wanting the big fast fwd, or the center we could plug into the 3rd line in year. It's purely that I had become set on the "best fit" fwd.

But once the high end d-men fell, I have to make that adjustment. And of the 3, the huge, defensive fist, excellent skating physical lefty d-man, is probably the best fit.

NJ had a plethora of choices at 10. Maybe we can point to a couple of guys we would have preferred but clearly NJ wanted Silayev over them . Would not shock me to find out they had him as a top five prospect.

 

[Saugus]

I'm hoping to be proven wrong about this pick almost immediately, like I was with Nemec.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

He does seem allergic to keeping the puck on his stick, but it's not like the reads are wrong.

This is one concern of mine. I like defensemen who can be poised and hold onto the puck for an extra second or two to find the best option.

 

[MadDevil]

Don't tell Nico he likes Victor Hedman.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I'm hoping to be proven wrong about this pick almost immediately, like I was with Nemec.

If you don't hear his name as a Devils dman, he's probably doing his job unlike Nemec lol