Player Discussion Most disappointing Hughes Acquisition (All Michkov draft talk here)

[BLONG7]

No other NHL team had both a Russian scouting director in their fold (co-director to be precise) and his close relative working in a senior role with the team that Michkov played for, at a time when most teams could not get live viewings of the player. I’m guessing this part stings for the average fan who keeps bringing up a lost opportunity.

But...............do they have an HF account?? lol
The story goes, than many on HF who have an account, know more than those on the inside.....

HF never disappoints.......never.

 

[HabzSauce]

Mich may indeed wind up a better player. Incredible rookie season so far.

To be fair to CC though, when healthy under MSL CC has consistently paced for around 50 goals - as far back as his rookie year. The only times he hasn’t done this was under Mumbles or when he had his injury. He has great numbers but they should be even better than they are.

But yeah, Michkov’s production is terrific and he could well be a superstar. I haven’t seen him enough to say one way or the other but the production’s there.

Nothing against CC, 40-50g potential. I just think Michkov can impact the game in more ways than CC can.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Nothing against CC, 40-50g potential. I just think Michkov can impact the game in more ways than CC can.

I haven't seen enough of him to comment. You may well be right.

But... CC has been better than people think. Health and Mumbles have prevented him from hitting around 50 goals since he came into the league. He's otherwise almost always on pace for 50 or close to it. He's a pretty underrated player. If MSL had been his coach in his rookie year, CC probably woudl've scored 50 or close to it back then.

 

[sampollock]

Michkov could be a great player, but labeling him a 50 goal, 100 point player at this point is ridiculous. I see the same people saying "Michkov next Kucherov" saying that Demidov can't be counted on to be a star. If you're going to claim Michkov is going to be a star, you have to acknowledge that the chances of Demidov becoming a star are at least even.

on this board this guy is a HHOF already

 

[Tabarouette]

on this board this guy is a HHOF already

This guy just turned 20 this week and he'd be our 2nd best scorer 2 points behind the captain, and he would be our first calder winner since Ken Dryden

also he's doing that despite getting healthy scratched twice by torts

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

on this board this guy is a HHOF already

Regardless of how RB does, we missed out on an awesome player.

As we look back on this years from now, it'll be interesting looking at that draft year. Maybe it'll be seen as a f***up. Good chance of that happening but we can't know it now.

What will really matter though is the body of work. 2022 looks like an incredible draft for us. Good chance we got the two best players in that draft. Mesar and Engstrom are doing well in the AHL... That draft could be our best since 1984. The following year we get RB and... Fowler. Fowler is one of the best goaltending prospects in hockey now and was drafted 69th.

If you do f*** up and miss out on a superstar with a high pick, it's really hard to mitigate it. But drafting Hutson 62nd overall is certainly one way of doing it. Getting Patrick Laine (a guy I thought wouldn't be anywhere near as good as he's been) for free is another.

If RB is as advertised, he'll greatly help us. Does that mean we should've taken him over MM? Maybe not. But in the long run what will matter is how we draft/trade/develop overall. I still think we're in a great position going forward. There will be bumps along the way (Injuries to RB and Dach are good examples) but we've got a really strong group of prospects on the way.

 

[River Meadow]

Really. This thread is for people who are always angry. Always need something to shout about. Nothing will ever be enough.

People in this thread be like:

 

[ReHabs]

Really. This thread is for people who are always angry. Always need something to shout about. Nothing will ever be enough.

It's more like, a bunch of fans insist that everybody be patient and watch their beloved Montreal Canadiens lose and lose and lose and play like loose poo and lose and have struggling young players and lose and have busts and lose and lose and be boring while the management intentionally misses out on exciting players.

I'll be happy when they win playoff series. Everything until then, even playoff appearances, is foreplay -- bad foreplay.

 

[BLNY]

It's more like, a bunch of fans insist that everybody be patient and watch their beloved Montreal Canadiens lose and lose and lose and play like loose poo and lose and have struggling young players and lose and have busts and lose and lose and be boring while the management intentionally misses out on exciting players.

I'll be happy when they win playoff series. Everything until then, even playoff appearances, is foreplay -- bad foreplay.

Like the others insist the sky is falling?

 

[Guy Larose]

It's more like, a bunch of fans insist that everybody be patient and watch their beloved Montreal Canadiens lose and lose and lose and play like loose poo and lose and have struggling young players and lose and have busts and lose and lose and be boring while the management intentionally misses out on exciting players.

I'll be happy when they win playoff series. Everything until then, even playoff appearances, is foreplay -- bad foreplay.

I WANT A REBUILD BUT I DON'T WANT TO LOSE!!!!!!!!! I've seen enough of your posts to know you'll never be happy. We have the best prospect pool we've had in forever and probably 2 of the best players of the 2022 draft, but hey, people need something to whine about.

 

[BLNY]

People in this thread be like:

Except the window is a computer monitor lol.

 

[McGuires Corndog]

Talk to me in 5 years because we won't really know until then.

And there must be reasons he wasn't picked, two of them might be that dman are more valuable then forwards and he has a crappy attitude.

Bookmark it, we can certainly chat then? We’ve both been here for 15ish years - I trust we’ll both still be around then!

Dman are more valuable than forwards? Yeah…. Maybe. I think if you’re referring to a top 4 D compared to a Top 6 fwd, yes - 100%.

Michkov will prove to be a cut above that. He’s going to be a PPG+ player. Maybe even a 100pt player.

In order for Reinbacher to be of equal value, he’s going to be to be a 60-pt RHD that plays 25+min per game and is solid defensively. Do I believe he can be the latter? Absolutely. Do I believe he can be the offensive catalyst? Absolutely not. We’ll end up well-served if Reinbacher turns into a 35-45pt and 22-24min per night defender. Think 2007-2010 Roman Hamrlik.

That’s highly valuable, no doubt about it. But it’s not Michkov level.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

It's more like, a bunch of fans insist that everybody be patient and watch their beloved Montreal Canadiens lose and lose and lose and play like loose poo and lose and have struggling young players and lose and have busts and lose and lose and be boring while the management intentionally misses out on exciting players.

I'll be happy when they win playoff series. Everything until then, even playoff appearances, is foreplay -- bad foreplay.

Because all that matter is THIS year...

 

[Guy Larose]

It's not all about points. The same people that touch themselves over Michy boy, wouldn't touch Marner with a 10 foot pole. But hey, Marner had almost 100 points 3 years in a row. Let the excuses come at me.

 

[themilosh]

It's not all about points. The same people that touch themselves over Michy boy, wouldn't touch Marner with a 10 foot pole. But hey, Marner had almost 100 points 3 years in a row. Let the excuses come at me.

Most people don't understand the minute details of the game. Showboating is not an option

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Bookmark it, we can certainly chat then? We’ve both been here for 15ish years - I trust we’ll both still be around then!

Dman are more valuable than forwards? Yeah…. Maybe. I think if you’re referring to a top 4 D compared to a Top 6 fwd, yes - 100%.

Michkov will prove to be a cut above that. He’s going to be a PPG+ player. Maybe even a 100pt player.

In order for Reinbacher to be of equal value, he’s going to be to be a 60-pt RHD that plays 25+min per game and is solid defensively. Do I believe he can be the latter? Absolutely. Do I believe he can be the offensive catalyst? Absolutely not. We’ll end up well-served if Reinbacher turns into a 35-45pt and 22-24min per night defender.

That’s highly valuable, no doubt about it. But it’s not Michkov level.

You're probably right. RB will never be that good. We can hope but... It's likely Mich will be a star player if not superstar.

He also probably won't be our only miss. Over time we'll see others that we missed out on. Who knows? Cooley or Wright might take off for example. All of that could happen.

In the long run though, we need to do well at the draft table. We don't need the BPA every time to be successful and we need some steals along the way. If it's soon enough to say Michkov will likely be a star (maybe superstar) then I think it's fair that we can say the same thing about Hutson. Good chance he's the best player in the 22 draft. So if you land him, it takes a lot of the sting out of missing Mich. Then you get Slaf and RB... still a really great haul.

I get people being pissed about Mich though. He was a high profile player that we passed on. Likely a star and we haven't had an offensive superstar in forever. Even if RB fills the hole we need, it still would've been nice to have Mich.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

It's not all about points. The same people that touch themselves over Michy boy, wouldn't touch Marner with a 10 foot pole. But hey, Marner had almost 100 points 3 years in a row. Let the excuses come at me.

Yeah but there's a reason for us not wanting to touch Marner - he can't get it done in the playoffs. There's nothing to suggest that Mich will be a bad playoff player. He's a blank slate from that perspective.

There's no need to talk down Michkov. Guy looks awesome. Guy will probably continue to be awesome. I do think there's a good possibility that him wanting to go Philly may have played a role in us not taking him. That was probably true for some teams but maybe not us. It's all speculative though. And at this point it doesn't really matter.

Michkov will be what he is. We just have to hope that RB can be the stud we need him to be on the right side. If he can do that, then honestly it doesn't matter what Michkov does. We should have enough firepower going forward to compete down the road. Esp if Laine can stay healthy and we can sign him at a reasonable rate.

 

[Guy Larose]

Yeah but there's a reason for us not wanting to touch Marner - he can't get it done in the playoffs. There's nothing to suggest that Mich will be a bad playoff player. He's a blank slate from that perspective.

There's no need to talk down Michkov. Guy looks awesome. Guy will probably continue to be awesome. I do think there's a good possibility that him wanting to go Philly may have played a role in us not taking him. That was probably true for some teams but maybe not us. It's all speculative though. And at this point it doesn't really matter.

Michkov will be what he is. We just have to hope that RB can be the stud we need him to be on the right side. If he can do that, then honestly it doesn't matter what Michkov does. We should have enough firepower going forward to compete down the road. Esp if Laine can stay healthy and we can sign him at a reasonable rate.

We can speak when both teams are in the playoffs or the second half of a season when everything gets real and tougher. Both teams being in the playoffs, do you take the small winger that will probably get his face plastered in the wall or the steady big D? Obviously we have no answers since neither will play in the playoffs for a while. I know which one I take. Demi starting next year will make everyone forget about all this. He's as talented and almost 6'1" as well.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

We can speak when both teams are in the playoffs or the second half of a season when everything gets real and tougher. Both teams being in the playoffs, do you take the small winger that will probably get his face plastered in the wall or the steady big D? Obviously we have no answers since neither will play in the playoffs for a while. I know which one I take. Demi starting next year will make everyone forget about all this. He's as talented and almost 6'1" as well.

A smaller winger who can score can win you a crap ton of games. I'd have no problem taking that over a big blueliner. As always it depends on the individuals being discussed. Would you take a big blueliner over a smaller one? All things being equal you would but what if it was Lane Hutson? Talent makes a big difference.

That being said, you need a mix. That's where I think RB will help us. Does that mean we should've drafted him over Mich? Not necessarily but that's separate from the fact that I can't wait for RB to get here. We badly need a steadying presence on the right side.

 

[Guy Larose]

A smaller winger who can score can win you a crap ton of games. I'd have no problem taking that over a big blueliner. As always it depends on the individuals being discussed. Would you take a big blueliner over a smaller one? All things being equal you would but what if it was Lane Hutson? Talent makes a big difference.

That being said, you need a mix. That's where I think RB will help us. Does that mean we should've drafted him over Mich? Not necessarily but that's separate from the fact that I can't wait for RB to get here. We badly need a steadying presence on the right side.

Not just for size, no. Obviously Reinbacher also has talent, not just a plug. And yes, a mix is a must otherwise you become the Leafs.

 

[Doc McKenna]

Regardless of how RB does, we missed out on an awesome player.

As we look back on this years from now, it'll be interesting looking at that draft year. Maybe it'll be seen as a f***up. Good chance of that happening but we can't know it now.

What will really matter though is the body of work. 2022 looks like an incredible draft for us. Good chance we got the two best players in that draft. Mesar and Engstrom are doing well in the AHL... That draft could be our best since 1984. The following year we get RB and... Fowler. Fowler is one of the best goaltending prospects in hockey now and was drafted 69th.

If you do f*** up and miss out on a superstar with a high pick, it's really hard to mitigate it. But drafting Hutson 62nd overall is certainly one way of doing it. Getting Patrick Laine (a guy I thought wouldn't be anywhere near as good as he's been) for free is another.

If RB is as advertised, he'll greatly help us. Does that mean we should've taken him over MM? Maybe not. But in the long run what will matter is how we draft/trade/develop overall. I still think we're in a great position going forward. There will be bumps along the way (Injuries to RB and Dach are good examples) but we've got a really strong group of prospects on the way.

It wells like Akost vs Getzlaf(i think) Akost was a solid top 6 player. Nothing wrong with that pick, but to miss on a much more valuable (or several) commodities, makes it harder to take. I was on the train to get BPA and if he was more valueable than CC and we need to move one of them we get a great return on either. RB may or may not be a 1 D man, but I feel he won't be the better player available at that draft position.

Though I don't want to see us turn into the oilers, I doubt we have enough "embarrassment of riches" at forward to ever worry about it. (Or D for that matter, unlike our boards prospect overhype each and every year)

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Not just for size, no. Obviously Reinbacher also has talent, not just a plug. And yes, a mix is a must otherwise you become the Leafs.

Right. And RB has the exact kind of profile that we badly need at RD. I think he'll probably be a good player for us. But he's not projected to be a superstar. So I get why people are upset. He's unlikely to be the BPA in that draft for where we got him.

Overall though, it may not matter. If we can mitigate that pick with other moves and steals then it helps down the road. As I said, you WILL make mistakes at the draft table. Nobody is ever 100 percent. It's the body of work that matters. Demidov and Laine help on that front. Getting Hutson as a steal will help us greatly, if Fowler can translate it'll be awesome.

But we won't know this for years.

 

[River Meadow]

Because all that matter is THIS year...

Technically, all that matters is the present moment, because the past is gone and the future is uncertain.

So he ain't wrong, tbf.

 

[ReHabs]

I WANT A REBUILD BUT I DON'T WANT TO LOSE!!!!!!!!! I've seen enough of your posts to know you'll never be happy.

Who said I wanted a rebuild?

If you’ve read enough of my comments you wouldn’t be surprised that I don’t think losing leads to winning. When the Habs start winning, I’ll be happy. Maybe.

Hope this helps.

We have the best prospect pool we've had in forever and probably 2 of the best players of the 2022 draft, but hey, people need something to whine about.

Prospect pool rankings are worthless and pathetic. We have 1 bluechip prospect. The rest are irrelevant to the task at hand: building a core.

And I’d hope we had the best draft picks from the draft we had the 1OA, unfortunately our 1OA is in the process of getting lapped by two players picked after him.

 

[Guy Larose]

Right. And RB has the exact kind of profile that we badly need at RD. I think he'll probably be a good player for us. But he's not projected to be a superstar. So I get why people are upset. He's unlikely to be the BPA in that draft for where we got him.

Overall though, it may not matter. If we can mitigate that pick with other moves and steals then it helps down the road. As I said, you WILL make mistakes at the draft table. Nobody is ever 100 percent. It's the body of work that matters. Demidov and Laine help on that front. Getting Hutson as a steal will help us greatly, if Fowler can translate it'll be awesome.

But we won't know this for years.

I get why people are upset. What's tiring is the same people over and over saying the same thing all the time without giving it a few years to see what we have. Then if everyone is happy with Reinbacher, then these people will just come out with the tired saying of eating crow.