Yeah. Gone are the likes of Markov, Zubov, Gonchar. Having followed hockey in the 2000s and 2010s I guess I hit somewhat of a heyday for Russian D.Well that list got thin pretty quick. I didn’t realize how much Russian dmen have dropped off in recent years.
At the same time, gun to my head I'd say Orlov is the better defenseman than Nikishin today. I'd love it if Nikishin is better, but we should temper our day 1 expectations. It's possible he just pans out as a solid top 4 guy, even if the #1 defenseman ceiling looms large.