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

[ReHabs]

What lack of production ?

Leonard scored 25% fewer points than his linemates. It’s hard to square that with picking him at 5 unless you purposefully ignore it.

 

[Runner77]

Kent Hughes following his selection of Will Smith, thanks to a trade that secured the 4OA drafting slot:

“We’re extremely excited to have selected Will, a 5-star quality human being. I’ve coached him, I know the family and I believe he’ll be a great fit with this group and what we’re looking to build.”

 

[Andrei79]

Kent Hughes following his selection of Will Smith, thanks to a trade that secured the 4OA drafting slot:

“We’re extremely excited to have selected Will, a 5-star quality human being. I’ve coached him, I know the family and I believe he’ll be a great fit with this group and what we’re looking to build.”

"I would also like to confirm to @HabbyGuy that we all here think Michkov can go f*** himself".

 

[Koivu11]

 

[WeThreeKings]

The easiest thing for all of our sanity is Michkov going before we pick

 

[waffledave]

Exactly that is why I specified in Russia and mentioned juice. Banks aren't the only money lenders it's a market unto itself going back to biblical times.

Nobody can dictate the amount of signing bonus we offer right?

I missed the Russian bank part. I think it's complicated now, he's getting paid in North America and would need the money in Russia which US not simple to do because of sanctions. My company elected to close all operations in Russia mainly because it was too hard to get money over there to pay people.

 

[Duramarier]

Unless people think that the player drafted this year has a big impact in the next 3 years, there is no risk for Hughes taking Michkov even if he is not coming. If in 3 years, the team is not in the playoff, no matter what, Hughes job is at risk. If the team is in the playoff and trending up, Molson won't tell him ''Sorry Kent, your team is doing good but Michkov didn't come, you are fired.'' Hughes's job depend of the success of his team and I doubt a Leonard will tip the scale in the next few years. If anything, it gives him a cushion. In 2 years, if the team is not trending up, he could still tell Geoff ''wait until Michkov is coming, you will see how good the team I built is.''

So if Kent believes he is a good GM, he will take the ''risk'' knowing he can assemble a good team no matter this years's draft. Only bad GM rely on 1 draft to keep his job.

 

[SlafySZN]

There is absolutely no way Leonard is picked between 2-4. That would be enough to fire a GM on the spot

Why? In 10 years the best players of this draft will most likely not be who we thought it would be, in order.

 

[Skip Bayless]

Why do people take for granted that Bedard is going first

 

[Redux91]

It's not though!! The teams ahead of us have concrete viable options that makes sense available to them. The habs don't.

This is what you're not getting:
"Concrete viable options"..?

Based on who, you? The places you read? You people you listened to?
Is this your first time following an NHL draft?
Is this your first time following an NHL draft with the habs having a top 5 pick?

The Habs might pick Michkov 5th, they might not pick him 5th
Michkov might go 4th, he might go 8th

Stop being married to the idea that Michkov is already a bona fide 100 point producer in the NHL like Will Smith is, woops I mean the way Carlsson is, no wait Fantilli, it's fantilli for sure that hits 100... hmmm wait maybe someone else..

The guy picked 7th might outproduce the guy picked 2nd.
The guy picked 15th might outproduce the guy picked 5th.

Like man we just can't freak out about this Michkov thing THIS much is all

 

[ottawa]

Why do people take for granted that Bedard is going first

Lol.

The recent scouting reports on the Athletic and w/ B-Mac don't make it clear enough?

 

[HabbyGuy]

No one here is a detractor on Matvei Michkov.. I have not seen one person say that the Montreal Canadiens should not pick Matvei Michkov under no circumstances.



Kent Hughes himself when asked about Michkov also mentioned the possibility that he signs an extension in Russia. That means there is verifiable risk amongst NHL executives, teams, scouts and media members that Michkov may not simply cross over in 3 years and that he may actually extend longer in the KHL.



Teams have not been able to have live viewings of Michkov for 2 years. This is an issue. There are a lot of things you can't see on video. You can't see what he's doing when he's not on screen in the defensive zone. You can't see what his body language is after they get scored on, or if his teammate misses him when he's open, when he misses a chance. You can't see how he carries himself on the bench. You can't see how interacts with his teammates or coaches. There's a vital evaluation point and familiarity that you don't have.

That also means they haven't gotten to know him as a person or his growth as a person over the last two years. When you are investing a high pick, you are not just investing on a hockey player, you are investing on a person.



There's character concerns that they don't have answers to and there is still the mysterious death of his father. Yeah, the father thing might be a nothing burger but it's not like Russia is squeaky clean on how it operates. But the main issue here is the potential character concerns. The Montreal Canadiens in particular are all about building an inclusive locker room where everyone is high character individuals and they won't risk that by bringing in a potentially volatile personality.

That is where having no live viewings and no contact with a player over the last two years becomes a bigger sticking point.



There's hockey concerns as well. Michkov is a small player. Now, I don't particularly have an issue with small forwards but it is clear the Canadiens are concerned about the size mix in their top 6. I also don't have a concern over the one-dimensional nature of his game but that's a concern for teams as well.

If he's only good in one zone, that severely hampers what they can do with him on the ice and the neutral zone is one of MSL biggest focus areas.

So based on all of that - the concerns over his contract status, his ability to stay in Russia if he doesn't like where he is drafted, the geopolitical uncertainty, the character concerns, the lack of live viewings, the lack of actually knowing the player well, the concerns over his defensive and neutral zone play, and the possibility that his offensive game just isn't as good as billed or hasn't grown enough over the last two years.. the risk profile is not nothing, there's some legitimate concerns across the spectrum there.

And then you need to remove your own evaluation from Leonard/Reinbacher and understand that other scouting staffs and teams may see them in higher regard than you do.

If the evaluation is that Michkov is a 70-90 point forward who can't drive through the neutral zone, can't defend all that well, makes your forward group too small to contend, may take 3 years or longer to come over, may not be a good person or teammate, and may not actually be a 70-90 point forward since his progression is harder to track AND your evaluation is that Leonard is a 60-80 point forward who can provide a physical element, defensive conscience, speed, and creativity to a line-up that needs it.. why would you assume ALL of that risk for a deviation of ~10-20 points on either end of that projected offensive output?

I understand questions need to be answered, all you're doing is basically pointing out the reasons that have already been established as to why we're even having this discussion.

If they find out his intentions are to come here as soon as possible (3 years) which I'd feel most would think much more likely than not. That it would be a huge obstacle removed. Further more I have seen you support opinion that's it's reasonable to have to wait 6 years for Leonard to hit his ceiling (Matthew Tkachuk) and yet somehow use this 3 year wait on Michkov as a deterrent. Which I personally find conflicting in your opine that you're not a detractor. Or atleast at the minimum hypocritical.

Secondly these so called character issues will very comfortably be clarified via the habs connections in Russia and through the interview process, this should be he easiest of things to obtain and work on. So if anyone will have a handle on this it will be our habs.

Using Apron's explanation as reason why we might pass is laughable because they don't make sense. His defensive deficiency should be the least of our concerns versus his offensive potential. Defense can be taught, elite offensive Hockey sense not so much. I don't care how big he is, that's easily worked around aswell.

And what the "Michkov camp" can't comprehend or understand, or choose to not comprehend or understand is that the "non-michkov camp" aren't "idiots who don't understand hockey" who think Michkov isn't a top 5 pick like there's something wrong with their brains hockey wise or (very) amateur hockey scouting wise and in turn there must be something horribly wrong with the brains of Hughes and Gorton, that if they don't pick Michkov, they dont understand hockey and are not good at their jobs.

The problem here is, simply put, fear and uncertainty, and everything that surrounds that is ugliness from *all* camps trying to navigate and swim through a very volatile situation, in which we find ourselves in one of the more amazingly precarious positions in the draft to boot.

I just wish some our "fans" would stop "pre"-destroying our management group for navigating that same maelstrom themselves but for real, and trying to come up with the best way to obtain a great player that will help the team for years to come while at the same time trying to deal with the projected potential fallout from whatever pick they DO make because even just the two options of "picking michkov" and "not picking michkov" are among a multitude of different scenarios that could happen where no matter what : you will deal with a group of "unhappy people in reference to whatever pick is made"
Hopefully, you make a pick where that group of unhappy people isn't so large as to overwhelm whatever mediums into getting people in charge fired.
But as we are all hopefully well aware, there's so much more to the whole thing..

Again, I just don't like the trashing of management for something they havent done yet, and of other fans who are, and I can't stress this enough, not AGAINST picking Michkov, but have the mental fortitude to accept a possible unpleasant future outcome, and deal with it a little bit better than others.
Because a lot of people also understand, no matter what, you are getting a great player at 5, and we are already well on our way to something special
Can't wait to see what happens

Well you shouldn't have concerns for me. I am a great believer in Hughes and company. (sans Molson) I have expressed many times my trust in him Gorton and MSL and their judgement. So if they pass I'm expecting rock solid reasons as to why they would.

They would have to be, that's my point. Up til now I haven't seen or heard any reason clear enough as to why he shouldn't be the obvious choice.

The reasons why they may be trepidatious are clearly understandable, but without these concrete answers, these issues on the surface at this time, shouldn't supercede the reward staring at them right in the face. It would seem to me all these so called "issues" could be clearly assertained and worked on, if all seems copacetic after due dilligence.

 

[Redux91]

Well you shouldn't have concerns for me. I am a great believer in Hughes and company. (sans Molson) I have expressed many times my trust in him Gorton and MSL and their judgement. So if they pass I'm expecting rock solid reasons as to why they would.

They would have to be, that's my point. Up til now I haven't seen or heard any reason clear enough as to why he shouldn't be the obvious choice.

The reasons why they may be trepidatious are clearly understandable, but without these concrete answers, these issues on the surface at this time, shouldn't supercede the reward staring at them right in the face. It would seem to me all these so called "issues" could be clearly assertained and worked on, if all seems copacetic after due dilligence.

"Possible" reward, yes.
Listen, I don't think the % of picking Michkov is 0.
I just dont think it should be 100% either.
And , I guess, that is the main issue here mostly with everyone lol

 

[Luigi Habs]

We’re hearing that the Ducks could be interested in Michkov since they already have Mctavish and Zegras at center. If Hughes doesn’t want him he should look woth Anaheim as a trade partner and grab Fantilli. I don’t know what could entice them to agree on the trade though. It will depend on how much they want Michkov.

 

[HabbyGuy]

This is what you're not getting:
"Concrete viable options"..?

Based on who, you? The places you read? You people you listened to?
Is this your first time following an NHL draft?
Is this your first time following an NHL draft with the habs having a top 5 pick?

The Habs might pick Michkov 5th, they might not pick him 5th
Michkov might go 4th, he might go 8th

Stop being married to the idea that Michkov is already a bona fide 100 point producer in the NHL like Will Smith is, woops I mean the way Carlsson is, no wait Fantilli, it's fantilli for sure that hits 100... hmmm wait maybe someone else..

The guy picked 7th might outproduce the guy picked 2nd.
The guy picked 15th might outproduce the guy picked 5th.

Like man we just can't freak out about this Michkov thing THIS much is all

Where are you getting the sense I'm married to anything Michkov is other than a blue chip elite prospect. With great upside?

And if you think there's isn't concrete viable options available to all in the top 4 of this draft, I dunno what to tell you.

 

[Max2]

The habs are a team that generally play it "safe" and that is why I doubt they will pick Michkov if he is available at 5.
Playing it safe however has never worked with this team in more than a generation now.30 years and counting without a cup.
Hab's fans are starved for talent and potential exciting players like Michkov,Drouin even though he flopped and Kovalev years back.
We idolize them, but this generation of hab's fans rarely get any players to be excited about unlike the glory days of the past.
I think picking a guy like Michkov with so many question marks surrounding him would actually be a wise decision as it would inject a huge amount of excitement and anticipation into the fanbase that would equal that of a stanley cup in many ways
There have been so many dismal years recently, that we need something to energize us and while choosing a safe player like Leonard,Reinbacher or Benson would be "sensible", it would just me more of the status quo in many ways.

 

[habdynasty]

Why? In 10 years the best players of this draft will most likely not be who we thought it would be, in order.

Ya it will be someone picked 45th overall like a Bergeron who will have a great career.

 

[JoelWarlord]

God I can't believe that scouts have actually convinced themselves to pick the guy with 30% fewer points than his linemate at 1st overall. If this guy with 75pts has such great "tools" and "upside", isn't it a problem that he finished 30 points behind his linemate???? Don't they know these players are linemates so that means the guy with 105 points is better??????????

 

[Milhouse40]

The habs are a team that generally play it "safe" and that is why I doubt they will pick Michkov if he is available at 5.
Playing it safe however has never worked with this team in more than a generation now.30 years and counting without a cup.
Hab's fans are starved for talent and potential exciting players like Michkov,Drouin even though he flopped and Kovalev years back.
We idolize them, but this generation of hab's fans rarely get any players to be excited about unlike the glory days of the past.
I think picking a guy like Michkov with so many question marks surrounding him would actually be a wise decision as it would inject a huge amount of excitement and anticipation into the fanbase that would equal that of a stanley cup in many ways
There have been so many dismal years recently, that we need something to energize us and while choosing a safe player like Leonard,Reinbacher or Benson would be "sensible", it would just me more of the status quo in many ways.

The Habs are not an entity.....they didn't play it safe last year in picking Slafkovsky so was the last management by picking KK.

as for exciting player.....we would have one and most Fans will still wants more.......Caufield is a dynamic exciting player, put someone worthy of being 1st line and a defense able to carry the puck t help him out and we could already have a superstar

Leonard scored 25% fewer points than his linemates. It’s hard to square that with picking him at 5 unless you purposefully ignore it.

Points is not the only thing that matter.....Bergeron never put up many points

 

[HabbyGuy]

"I would also like to confirm to @HabbyGuy that we all here think Michkov can go f*** himself".

LOL this is not at all my position, but you be you.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

LOL this is not at all my position, but you be you.

I think he's confusing you with @BenchBrawl

 

[HabbyGuy]

This is exactly what should happen. Silly Sharks.

 

[Twisted Sinister]

Height (and weight, even more so) of D entering the league has been consistently trending downward over the last 15/20 years.

Modern era defenseman - Girard, Hughes, even Makar - are in demand.

It should continue with players like - Lane H, Olen Z, and ASP.

Incorrect. The average height is actually up a little from 10 years ago. It's pretty much been consistent since then.

Furthermore, you're arguing the exceptions and not the rule. There have always been talented smaller defensemen. Doesn't change the facts or the stats.

Statistically speaking, Leonard will be up against guys bigger than him the majority of the time. Doesn't mean he can't play a power game, but I have concerns about how successful it will be.

 

[ReHabs]

Points is not the only thing that matter.....Bergeron never put up many points

I’m going to go on a limb and say Ryan Leonard will never again be compared to Patrice Bergeron. Much like how Juraj Slafkovksky will never again be compared to Jaromir Jagr. Habs fans tend to get carried away.

Think about his more likely outcome.

 

[morhilane]

I usually don't remember these thigns... has draft always been that close to July 1 free agency? I mean, do they realize that for some of us that might be TOO much excitement to take? where my pills at?...

It's like a week late this year, but so was the Combine.