I'm still not sold on Michkov, I thought he would be ppg this season. Maybe it's because he was mishandled by Tortorella but he seems streaky and when things don't go his way he disappear.
F Ivan Demidov (2024, 5th, MTL) Part 2
- Thread starter SoupNazi
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And Cooley, could you imagine?
Caufield - Suzuki - Dach
Demidov - Cooley - Michkov
That would have the potential to be the most potent top 6 in the NHL, especially with Hutson creating from the blue line. Two potential 90+ point wingers, and another with 40 goal winger. Surrounded by two #1 caliber 2 way centers...
That second line would be unreal with Cooley's elite puck transporting abilities and Demidov and Michkov's offensive zone talent. They would honestly probably end up being the first line.
And they have Hage coming up who would slot in nicely as the 3C down the line.
Slaf and Reinbacher should be good consolation prizes, but man what could have been.
FrankMTL
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Not a fan of Dach at all....we will see if he's in the long term plans of the team. Need a big forward to round out that top 6 which is where Slaf comes in. Cooley is a great player, but i don't think the Habs are regretting their selection just yet....
Too early to make determinations on Reinbacher. He could be more valuable for a long playoff run than Michkov by the time they are 25. Time will tell.
As for Slaf v. Cooley. Time will tell for that as well. Slaf brings a size and puck control element. Back to back 50 point seasons. He leads the team in hits. He isn't as skilled as Cooley, but might be part of a right mix to make a winner. I concede he has to take a step forward next year in production. If he can elevate to 65 points next year and continue to lead in hits and create time and space for Suzuki and Caufield...that would be ideal.
There is a 1% chance Reinbacher will be a better pick than michkov. And that’s if Mich has a career ending injury. Ppl acting like Reinbacher is Jake Sanderson or something lol.
newsportsfan123
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FinnishCoyote
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Cooley absolutely is becoming a two-way center, growth in his defensive game has been tremendous these past two seasons.
Of course there is still occasionally some lapses, but it is expected that these will fade away as he ages. He is still only 20 years old
Actually they need Reinbacher to hit much more than Michkov. Tbe D has to get better soon. Once Demidov fell into their laps Michkov became irrelevant.
Sting
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I find the "what ifs" on prospect boards sound way better than reality. Most prospects never hit close to the ceiling that fans give them. That top 6 looks better on paper than I think it would end up in reality mainly because that's a weak first line for a contender, and the second line is immensely talented but I'd question their ability to keep pucks out of the net.
Regardless, a lot of promise in these players. In particular, I think people sleep on Michkov a lot because of his team. He is a lot better than given credit for on here.
For his age, he's absolutely a two way center. Not many 20 year olds are able to play center in this league. I know his underlying numbers were pretty meh, but that's what you expect with young centers.
Dude still has a +17 goal differential at 5v5 in his first season as a full time center.
There's no way the Habs wouldn't trade Reinbacher for Michkov if it was offered.
Same could be said for anaheim, san jose, or Chicago
Thanks for clarifying. Just to confirm, is this Mr. Hughes or Mr. Gorton. Or......is this the man himself, Mr. Molson?
Michkov certainly has more trade value right now than rein
But idk, for whatever reason I’m not crying about missing out on michkov. Philly needs him and he deserves philly
TheBeastCoast
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I think Chicago deciding not to take Demidov is going to hurt them a lot long term. Basically hoping and praying they can now find a comparable talent in this draft to be a running mate for Bedard when he was right there for them. Montreal was kind of in a similar spot last year after passing on Michkov...but then Demidov did fall into their laps so it won't hurt quite as bad.
Let's wait and see what we have in Rein before we cast him away. Sure....Michkov had an excellent season and will be a damn fine player. Reinbacher was impressive with Laval in his limited time this year. We need that RD right now more than anything.
To make muffins, you can't just double the sugar and skip the flour.
JeffreyLFC
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I never thought I would say that about him as I hated the selection of Reinbacher when it happened but he has looked very good in the few time he was not injured. He is most likely a top 4 defenseman and he would complement Hutson very well. He has the mobility, the size and the defensive awareness. I am still unsure about his offense but he does not have to be the difference maker offensively either. I think he is a huge part of the habs rebuild. That being said, for a 5th overall pick you would, at least for me, expect a bit more than just a solid defenseman but again I highly doubt he bust completely unless his injury record ruin his development/career.
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Well I’d rather Carlsson over Michkov long term anyway. Hutson everyone passed on. As for Sennecke over Demidov it doesn’t look great but the jury is still out at this point.
The only people who disagree are blinded by their fandom.
Reinbacher projects to be a solid top 4 dman, but Michkov is already proving to be a top line scoring winger with 90-100+ point potential. Caufield is the only Hab with a higher 5v5 p/60, and he spent all season with Suzuki as his center. Michkov has been centered primarily by the ghost of Sean Couturier, while playing under Tortorella.
No objective Habs fan would turn down that trade.
I don't think they should regret picking Slafkovsky, he's a good young PWF, and that was a tough draft to be picking first. Cooley was the best choice of the 3 guys they were considering, but it's not like Slaf is a bust by any means.
Sasha Orlov
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You know he’s good when the entire thread is about the Habs missing on other picks lmao
Wasn’t trying to point a finger at any team, just making a point that there is life after michkov
Angler
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Yeah, this is what I'm thinking. You wouldn't even know this is a Demidov thread if you didn't read the thread title.
Sure man......no objective Habs fan. How about a Habs fan that looks at the complete package of building a team?
To take it a little further - perhaps to prove my objectivity - it's too early to tell if Chicago made a mistake in 2024. Levshunov could end up being the right piece for their team. I suspect....and hope that they made a massive mistake. And....I wouldn't trade Demidov for Levshunov.....but that doesn't make me right.
In a vaccum....yeah Michkov over Reinbacher. But he might not be the best piece for us. I don't think our management would trade Rein for Michkov at this point, as it is too close to the draft and they drafted Rein for what he will become in the future.
NHL teams are built with many pieces in place.
Same thing applies to 2022.....but we have already had our discussions over Slaf v Cooley.
