Matvei Michkov: 9 points in first 8 NHL games

[ORRFForever]

Hopefully Logan Stankoven can continue to give him a run for the Calder.

 

[Hockeypete49]

As a Habs fan I can tell you don't really follow the team and base yourself on past reputation. Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky haven't been ruined by the Habs while being the three best offensive players we've integrated to the team in the last few years, and I doubt this new management will ruin Demidov and Hage, nor would they have ruined Michkov.

There's absolutely no proof Michkov did not want to play for Montreal as contrarily to Phoenix, he did not refuse to meet the Habs. It's on record that they met. If he didn't want to play for Montreal, he would've simply done like he did with the Yotes, by simply refusing to meet them.

There's also the fact Nick Bobrov had an inside track on SKA, as his father is still in the organization, and in all likelyhood, Habs didn't like what they heard on his personality and thought it wouldn't mesh in Montreal. They clearly didn't have the same outlook with Demidov, another product of SKA, same inside track on the team, with Bobrov.

Well then, Thank you Montreal.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

As a hockey fan we are blessed that Montreal did not get the opportunity to ruin Michkov’s development

I am not surprised that Michkov refused to play for montreal, Montreal cannot develop their lottery picks: Kotkaniemi, slaf, reinbacher etc. all of them looking like the wrong pick shortly after joining the habs

Hasn't Slaf been great lately?

 

[River Meadow]

Good enough that Montreal will be regretting not picking him for around 2 decades.

This.

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

I ranked Michkov 1st overall & Bedard 2nd overall in my draft rankings thread that year, but I don't think this is true. I think Bedard is much stronger and much meaner than Michkov.

Mean ? I think strength wise it would be pretty close . Both are stocky ish . But out of the 2 I’d say Michkov plays w more a chip on his shoulder than Bedard .

 

[EdJovanovski]

Bedard has the much better skating, hands, and shot. The combination of being undersized + not the greatest skater is tough to overcome, so I could see him taking a while to really reach his potential. The fact he's producing like this in spite of that, shows how good he is; but I honestly thought he'd look a little better by the eye test than he has. His best asset is by far is hockey IQ. He doesn't have the most elite tools, reminds me a bit of a forward version of Adam Fox.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Mean ? I think strength wise it would be pretty close . Both are stocky ish . But out of the 2 I’d say Michkov plays w more a chip on his shoulder than Bedard .

Michkov has a small sample size in the NHL, and perhaps it just so happens that the games I've watched have turned out this way but I see Bedard in way more scrums than Michkov and showing way more edge

https://x.com/i/web/status/1842971056258306545

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

Bedard has the much better skating, hands, and shot. The combination of being undersized + not the greatest skater is tough to overcome, so I could see him taking a while to really reach his potential. The fact he's producing like this in spite of that, shows how good he is; but I honestly thought he'd look a little better by the eye test than he has. His best asset is by far is hockey IQ. He doesn't have the most elite tools, reminds me a bit of a forward version of Adam Fox.

Definitely better skater . Better velocity on shot as well . Not sure you can conclusively say better hands though

 

[jackjohnson]

I ranked Michkov 1st overall & Bedard 2nd overall in my draft rankings thread that year, but I don't think this is true. I think Bedard is much stronger and much meaner than Michkov.

How is Bedard more stronger and meaner?? Michkov has been more physical from games that I saw playing against Canucks. Michkov was more of a factor compared to Bedard.

 

[jetsforever]

Too early to call but good start
Still crazy how he fell so far in the draft and then immediately came over

 

[Fraser28]

Why not better than that ?

Seriously?

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

Kaprizov level within a few years

 

[ViD]

Kaprizov level within a few years

Kaprizov leads the NHL in points now

 

[Juicy Pop]

Kaprizov leads the NHL in points now

Homerish, but if Philly didn't have a horrendously bad string of wide-open net misses, then Michkov is in the top-10 in points this year, so far.

That's even being very generous, because there are at least 7 notable freebies that were whiffed on where it's not even a question that an average NHL player would hit most of those.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Bedard has the much better skating, hands, and shot. The combination of being undersized + not the greatest skater is tough to overcome, so I could see him taking a while to really reach his potential. The fact he's producing like this in spite of that, shows how good he is; but I honestly thought he'd look a little better by the eye test than he has. His best asset is by far is hockey IQ. He doesn't have the most elite tools, reminds me a bit of a forward version of Adam Fox.

It doesn’t matter. Fans of teams that have either won’t likely complain. But imagine being a fan of a team who passed on one of them. They probably don’t care very much when it comes to rolling their ‘R’s.

 

[MayonnaiseOreo]

As a hockey fan we are blessed that Montreal did not get the opportunity to ruin Michkov’s development

I am not surprised that Michkov refused to play for montreal, Montreal cannot develop their lottery picks: Kotkaniemi, slaf, reinbacher etc. all of them looking like the wrong pick shortly after joining the habs

Oh boy do I have some news for you about how Flyers players "develop".

 

[SaSaShi]

What shot advantage? If you go by their recent shot effectiveness, Michkov has it better

I don't just go by recent advantage, too fluctuative and Bedard was in a long slump (but slowly heating up now)

Bedard's shot is lethal.

It's in a class of its own. Sakic on steroids.

 

[wetcoast]

considering he was considered second only to bedard (or even as good) doesnt shock me. woe to those who didnt take him when they had the chance.,

Not so fast and even though I would have picked him 2nd after bedard the Ducks and Jackets picks are still acceptable so far and in projection.

 

[Alex K]

Michkov jumping up and down is adorable

Reminded me of a rookie Tarasenko

 

[ItWasJustified]

Too early to call but good start
Still crazy how he fell so far in the draft and then immediately came over

It's obvious that no NHL team had done their homework on Michkov properly and misjudged the whole KHL contract situation. I think it was Sam Cosentino at Sportsnet who before the draft said on The Jeff Marek Show that Michkov would be the same age as Kaprizov was when he would come to North America. He's either extremely bad at math, his reports were wrong or he just shot from the hip.

Either way it seems like no NHL team or media draft person bothered to even do the smallest amount of work when it came to Michkov, because you could clearly see the signs for things brewing already in his draft year if you bothered looking.

 

[ijuka]

Franchise level player. If he can improve his skating over the next few years, especially in terms of speed, he could become a MacKinnon impact player for his team.

 

[JPT]

Not me playing Tuch instead of Michkov yesterday

 

[HeadLiceHatty]

Not me playing Tuch instead of Michkov yesterday

lol keeper league??

 

[JPT]

lol keeper league??

Naa. I'm just a rookie. He's permanently in my line up now if he's playing lol

 

[sena]

It's obvious that no NHL team had done their homework on Michkov properly and misjudged the whole KHL situation. I think it was Sam Cosentino at Sportsnet who before the draft said on The Jeff Marek Show that Michkov would be the same age as Kaprizov was when he would come to North America. He's either extremely bad at math, his reports were wrong or he just shot from the hip.

Either way it seems like no NHL team or media draft person bothered to even do the smallest amount of work when it came to Michkov, because you could clearly see the signs for things brewing already in his draft year if you bothered looking.

I thought him and his agent told everyone to go fly a kite he would not be moving to their city any time soon