Confirmed with Link: Canadiens Will Pick 5th (Hughes Presser in OP) NO POLITICS

[Kudo Shinichi]

We could have 2 Messi on our team

NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Matvei Michkov

 

[26Mats]

No, it was a Habs podcast from combine. I turned it on last night when I went to bed, fell asleep half way through. I Listen second half tonight

Which podcast?

 

[Runner77]

I have Michkov at 3 but I'm not blind to the fact teams have an issue with his style of play, they have an issue with his size, they have an issue with his compete, they have an issue with his defensive play/awareness, they're concerned about the mysterious death of his father, they have concern they haven't seen him live in 2 years, there is concern about not being able to develop him for 3 years, there's concern about his contract being extended and there's concern about the geopolitical situation getting worse over the next 3+ years.

Its also funny to me that the Michkov or I'm done with this front office folks won't stick their neck out for how stupid San Jose is for taking Will Smith over Michkov.

It's not black and white, so if they take Michkov ill be surprised but happy and then hold my breath for 3 years.

But if they pass and other teams pass too, can the Michkov disciples at least accept that there may be more to the player and the situation then what they seem to present as their argument?

As fans, we can take any position and not suffer consequences for our choices. We also are not privy to all of the intel that teams can tap into and that can make a difference on the ultimate decision.

Of course there are risks with every draft pick but risk tolerance tends to be narrower the earlier the pick. I wouldn’t be surprised that most of the irritants/ issues you raised would receive consideration in the final decision but not all or not to similar extents, unless you’d have specific confirmation.

For instance, this is the first I hear that they have an issue with his size when that kind of thing tends to be overlooked or downplayed for the top talents of a draft class.

Michkov is an offensive player first and foremost and like other players of his ilk, his style of play and his defensive play/ awareness are the byproduct of his profile. Those deficiencies can be alleviated through coaching, when he’s expected to arrive 3 years from now when he’ll only be 21.

When you say they have an issue with his compete, how do they know that when in the same breath they say they haven’t had direct viewings of the player in 2 years?

The concern of not being able to develop him in 3 years is no worse than an NCAA player being developed by a coach that the Habs have no control over. There are plenty of minor league or university coaches who don’t have a good reputation, NHL teams manage to get the best out of their player when he arrives, nonetheless.

The contract extension issue can be found out unless you’re saying that the team he’s with can cloud the issue. He does seem to have the ability to travel which he wouldn’t have, if he were under duress.

The father’s death while mysterious has not revealed anything one way or the other and no one may ever find out. A team drafting him can’t use that as a reason to downgrade his valuation, no one has shown that he’s had any involvement.

Finally, the geopolitical situation has not prevented other Russian draftees from coming over. Elite level athletes appear to continue to enjoy privileges that most other Russian citizens, don’t.

You are correct that it’s not black and white. People taking extreme stances in here is predictable, they won’t be held accountable one way or the other — they’re just being fans and that’s all par for the course.

 

[HabbyGuy]

As fans, we can take any position and not suffer consequences for our choices. We also are not privy to all of the intel that teams can tap into and that can make a difference on the ultimate decision.

Of course there are risks with every draft pick but risk tolerance tends to be narrower the earlier the pick. I wouldn’t be surprised that most of the irritants/ issues you raised would receive consideration in the final decision but not all or not to similar extents, unless you’d have specific confirmation.

For instance, this is the first I hear that they have an issue with his size when that kind of thing tends to be overlooked or downplayed for the top talents of a draft class.

Michkov is an offensive player first and foremost and like other players of his ilk, his style of play and his defensive play/ awareness are the byproduct of his profile. Those deficiencies can be alleviated through coaching, when he’s expected to arrive 3 years from now when he’ll only be 21.

When you say they have an issue with his compete, how do they know that when in the same breath they say they haven’t had direct viewings of the player in 2 years?

The concern of not being able to develop him in 3 years is no worse than an NCAA player being developed by a coach that the Habs have no control over. There are plenty of minor league or university coaches who don’t have a good reputation, NHL teams manage to get the best out of their player when he arrives, nonetheless.

The contract extension issue can be found out unless you’re saying that the team he’s with can cloud the issue. He does seem to have the ability to travel which he wouldn’t have, if he were under duress.

The father’s death while mysterious has not revealed anything one way or the other and no one may ever find out. A team drafting him can’t use that as a reason to downgrade his valuation, no one has shown that he’s had any involvement.

Finally, the geopolitical situation has not prevented other Russian draftees from coming over. Elite level athletes appear to continue to enjoy privileges that most other Russian citizens, don’t.

You are correct that it’s not black and white. People taking extreme stances in here is predictable, they won’t be held accountable one way or the other — they’re just being fans and that’s all par for the course.

Good post. I just want to say I'd have a very hard time holding Hughes accountable for picking Michkov if it went south. I honestly don't know why Molson would either. At the end of the day he is a elite prospect. What more can you ask for with any pick? Just like I can't hold Gorton accountable for taking Lafreniere. It was the right choice no matter how it has turned out.

Who here wouldn't have made that choice?

Michkov will undoubtedly be the BPA at 5 if he's there from a draft choice perspective.

 

[Ozmodiar]

Is Michkov a bigger risk than Slafkovsky was last year?

Michkov had more than double the point production in the K vs Slaf’s Liiga output.

If I’m Hughes, I want to avoid the risk of picking a middle 6 player when top line talent is what the team needs. At 5, I’m more interested in “ceiling” than “floor”.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Reassuring to hear they are looking into Michkov and Benson.

I know KH is a smart man. I have trust in him.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Is Michkov a bigger risk than Slafkovsky was last year?

Michkov had more than double the point production in the K vs Slaf’s Liiga output.

If I’m Hughes, I want to avoid the risk of picking a middle 6 player when top line talent is what the team needs. At 5, I’m more interested in “ceiling” than “floor”.

Completely agree. We lack high end talent and fundamentaly it's at the very top of the draft you can most likely find it, so any top pick needs to have that as a dominant priority, until we do get one. Or two, hopefuly.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

 

[417]

Let's all remember that Kent Hughes is an agent at heart...misinformation is part of his DNA.

Reading about who the Habs are leaning towards (or not) is cool for discussion, but it really doesn't mean anything.

So no reason to get bent out of shape, either way, over it!

Less than 2 weeks left!

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

The first tweet is exactly what I said a few days ago.

The attached jpeg about playing coy to take advantage.

 

[HabbyGuy]

I guess it's time for some new tea leaf readers. Every day it's something different.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

I guess it's time for some new tea leaf readers. Every day it's something different.

We won't know anything until the draft.

In Hugo We Trust

 

[HabbyGuy]

We won't know anything until the draft.

In Hugo We Trust

I trust them. I'm excited.

 

[Natey]

Despite my apparent radicality i'm a pretty reasonable guy. Last year, I wasn't dogmatic about who to pick. I get the nuances and uncertainty surrounding such decisions.

This year tho it's a slamdunk, you go with Michkov and hope for the best. If it fails, you take the hit, that's it.

I see that same slam dunk with Benson who, I feel, is the absolute cream of the crop as far real two way players go (ie: Bergeron, Yzerman, Sakic).

If there's ever been a player with a full toolbox, it's Zach Benson.

 

[Andrei79]

Philippe Boucher loves Benson. Thinks he's going to be a superstar.

I really thought he wouldn't be on the Habs short list at 5 due to his size/skating, but I'm down with it, he's super smart. The analytics guy last year did mention drafting Slaf might eventually mean they won't pass on players later due to size concerns. At least, something along those lines. Michkov/Smith and Benson on their short list also means they want to bat this out of the park. At the same time, every source points to something different.

 

[WinterLion]

The fact is that Fantilli and Carlsson are great prospects but NOWHERE near the kind that Bedard is. If Michkov is really so close to Bedard he should be taken #2.

If he is in the pack then it gets a lot more difficult to judge... and the pool opens up a lot and then other factors will become more important like his size, position, Nationality etc... My prediction is that he is a special talent and will be gone before we pick one way or the other. If he is still there I hope we take him, but I like many of the players in this draft year.

 

[MolleSon]

I have Michkov at 3 but I'm not blind to the fact teams have an issue with his style of play, they have an issue with his size, they have an issue with his compete, they have an issue with his defensive play/awareness, they're concerned about the mysterious death of his father, they have concern they haven't seen him live in 2 years, there is concern about not being able to develop him for 3 years, there's concern about his contract being extended and there's concern about the geopolitical situation getting worse over the next 3+ years.

Its also funny to me that the Michkov or I'm done with this front office folks won't stick their neck out for how stupid San Jose is for taking Will Smith over Michkov.

It's not black and white, so if they take Michkov ill be surprised but happy and then hold my breath for 3 years.

But if they pass and other teams pass too, can the Michkov disciples at least accept that there may be more to the player and the situation then what they seem to present as their argument?

I trust Bobrov to know exactly what's going on with Michkov through his contacts in Russia. If someone can properly evaluate the situation, it's him. If we pass on Michkov, its certainly because of good reasons.

 

[Whitesnake]

It would make no sense that TODAY we are interested in Michkov and at draft day we don't pick him. He has more talent than everybody else. Clearly. The ONLY reason is the geo-political reason. Which I'm sure that we arer TODAY aware of what it is. And won't have new info in 1 week.

 

[Vachon23]

At the end of the day, no one no nothing about who they gonna draft

 

[WeThreeKings]

Good post. I just want to say I'd have a very hard time holding Hughes accountable for picking Michkov if it went south. I honestly don't know why Molson would either. At the end of the day he is a elite prospect. What more can you ask for with any pick? Just like I can't hold Gorton accountable for taking Lafreniere. It was the right choice no matter how it has turned out.

Who here wouldn't have made that choice?

Michkov will undoubtedly be the BPA at 5 if he's there from a draft choice perspective.

You might but let's be honest about this fan base, they will take any narrative and twist it to fit.

A lot of these Michkov or bust fans will literally turn if someone after Michkov becomes a star and he doesn't come over or isn't a star himself.

"Everyone knew the contract and the geopolitical situation was a red flag and we took him anyway. Bobrov sucks. Another bust in the top 10. Took a smurf who can't skate, classic Montreal"

They'll get demolished no matter what they do unless they hit it out of the park.

 

[HabbyGuy]

You might but let's be honest about this fan base, they will take any narrative and twist it to fit.

A lot of these Michkov or bust fans will literally turn if someone after Michkov becomes a star and he doesn't come over or isn't a star himself.

"Everyone knew the contract and the geopolitical situation was a red flag and we took him anyway. Bobrov sucks. Another bust in the top 10. Took a smurf who can't skate, classic Montreal"

They'll get demolished no matter what they do unless they hit it out of the park.

No argument there. This fan base can be so utterly disappointing and embarrassing at times. I can only speak from my point of view.

That said I don't think Hughes is too worried as to what the fans think he should do, they're not running the team, he is.

 

[BenchBrawl]

This fanbase is a gem. We're f***ing awesome.

 

[sampollock]

I think #2 is a huge goal of Kent.
that being said, I had mentioned Benson long time back.... don't forgot about him

 

[NORiculous]

No, I wouldn't regret it. Someone after who we pick will become a star. It happens all the time. As long as they pick someone and turn them into a valuable contributor to a contending team, I've got no regrets.

You just can't be completely wrong. So that's what they need to figure out.

Having a guy with a little less talent but that you can train feels more comfortable. That’s why a lot of scouts would pick this. It puts the pressure on the team rather than on their job. It gives some feel that they have control.

It might be true for the scout. But it’s bs for the team, IMO.

If you do you DD and you pick the right guy, all that matters is that he plays a lot and ideally gets feedback on what to work on. (Which can be done from a distance). The player obviously needs to be receptive to the feedback, though.

I think if guys with all the talent in the world aren’t receptive because they think they are the shit, it work work either way. First name that popped in my head was Filatov.

Anyway, I think the whole Michkov at distance is overblown. We are in 2023, not 1985-90. I feel like a lot of scouts think like it’s the peak of the Cold War. Even if the Russian thing does escalates(which it probably won’t), I think you can find ways to make the distance work, if Michkov doesn’t think he is Jesus…

That shouldn’t be hard to figure out.

There are shades of grey on both solutions but one just feels more comfortable because of old habits, IMO.

That doesn’t mean it’s the best one in this specific case. It might, but it doesn’t mean it is. Only way to find out is to talk to Michkov and get to know him a bit.

 

[Natey]

It would make no sense that TODAY we are interested in Michkov and at draft day we don't pick him. He has more talent than everybody else. Clearly. The ONLY reason is the geo-political reason. Which I'm sure that we arer TODAY aware of what it is. And won't have new info in 1 week.

If we're taking Michkov, I'll be thrilled even if it takes 3 years. If we take Smith over Michkov or even Benson, I'll puke.

Smith feels like a Toronto Maple Leafs player.