RW Matvei Michkov (2023, 7th, PHI) Part 4

[Garl]

NHLe is very worthless. It just doesn't matter, as it's all very role dependent. Michkov would likely play top line top powerplay on about half of KHL teams and have good production, if he was playing in the AHL for a farm team of an NHL team that controlled his development, he'd certainly be on the top line as well, but the SKA situation is what it is and he's like a 13th forward. Assuming players are rapidly shooting down depth charts when they go KHL to NHL and rapidly shooting up depth charts when they go NHL to KHL (think Galchenyuk) only tells you so much of the picture, other than "yes, every top top player in the world is in the NHL" which a chart doesn't need to tell you. If you look at the rare situations where players go from top line KHL (think the late-ish breakouts that then subsequently come to the NHL in their early to mid 20s) to top line NHL you get seldom many examples but like Panarin 2015 -> 2016, Kaprizov 2020 -> 2021, Kuzmenko 2022 -> 2023, we see less dramatic effects on production than an NHLe would suggest. Likewise the other way in the rare instances of top line NHL player bolting for KHL like Kovalchuk, not all of a sudden putting up 2 PPG or whatever in the KHL. Again though, that's a while ago as that doesn't happen seldom ever.

With the AHL, players are often groomed for the roles that they will play in the NHL, but the AHL is a developmental league so that makes sense. If you think a guy is a future top liner, he plays top line in the AHL and depending on where the team is at in their cycle, they'll get a similar opportunity in the NHL (Lukas Reichel on the Blackhawks is similar), whereas your bottom 6 prospects tend to also be bottom 6-ish in the AHL, and the AHL veterans on your roster can plug and play as necessary to support the ones viewed as legitimate NHL prospects in their development.

Panarin, Kaprizov, Kuzmenko
You forgot some other superstars
Shipachyov, Tkachyov, Gusev, Grigorenko, Plotnikov, Semyonov

 

[majormajor]

Think it’s just been obvious over the past few years that the KHL has declined rapidly. I think that conversation definitely needs to be had when discussing Michkov’s KHL numbers and how they were seen as historic.

It’s been apparent for the last couple seasons that the AHL is the 2nd best league in the world, with the eye test.View attachment 741402




View attachment 741403

1) I would think those error bars are not nearly wide enough. How many players is the number based on each year? It seems it would get skewed easily by a couple outliers. Generally though this seems correct to me.

2) This isn't the big reason why Michkov's Sochi stats aren't comparable to previous young KHLers. The big reasons is that none of them got the opportunity to lead a team like Sochi, most played very limited minutes like Michkov is currently. Do you think his current zero production should be held against him?

Sochi lacks talent but big ice time and PP time is by far the biggest factor in production. The best example of this I can think of is Max Domi going from the 4th line of the relatively talented Hurricanes to the 1st line of the low talent Blackhawks. His production predictably went up 2.5x.

 

[Garl]

Fancy stats people don't know what to do with the KHL whatsoever. They're lost.

A good example is Nikolai Kovalenko. According to them he's a borderline NHLer. But those with brains know that he'll likely slide in minimum into a second line role with the Avs

Of course, just like Golyshev who became a great player for Islanders

 

[Fantomas]

Of course, just like Golyshev who became a great player for Islanders

You think you're making a great point here, it's funny.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Panarin, Kaprizov, Kuzmenko
You forgot some other superstars
Shipachyov, Tkachyov, Gusev, Grigorenko, Plotnikov, Semyonov

Thanks for proving my point. I think that you think you made some "gotcha" here, but have done quite the opposite.

A guy like Plotnikov comes in, fresh off playing in a top line top PP in the KHL, puts up .64 points in the KHL for a team that finishes 6th in the western conference and doesn't score much or surrender much. Goes to NHL, gets put in a 13th forward spot duty role, produces no offense, goes back to KHL, plays in top line roles and produces again.

 

[TLEH]

I know people crave so desperately for all in one stats, but they are by and large junk. Unfortunately, it requires a lot more critical thinking than just looking at some compiled average based on tons of players in completely different situations and making any sort of determination off it. Unfortunately, you actually have to look case-by-case and examine reasons for things and to try and make reasonable determinations. This is too nuanced for most people, so they just want an equivalency chart to tell them how to think.

"AHL is just a better league", well it doesn't pay better, we haven't seen much in IIHF competition to suggest AHL players do better in a head to head capacity with EuroPros. So it's hard to know where you are getting that determination from other than just your blanket assertion.

Yeah obviously each situation is different? Just because KHL has declined as a league doesn’t mean Michkov is going to suck. That’s the problem with these discussions is people get all butthurt and dismiss everything and get defensive.

It’s more a general discussion when it comes to the level of a prospect and his development. It’s the same reason it MIGHT mean Nikishin is being overvalued. It’s all conjecture. But it’s atleast able to be talked about.

Also what does pay have to do with league strength? These numbers don’t tell the story for every prospect but as a whole they line up. You can see lockouts like I said. You can see other leagues gaining steam when it’s clear as day they are. More Canadians than ever play in the NCAA and use the USHL to get there. Wow shocking the NHLe as a whole for those league(s) goes up.

It’s not using a number to make a statement on a specific player. It’s using every players numbers and then making a statement on a league. Like I am doing to say that I take KHL scoring with a grain of salt right now.

Michkov has performed well against peers in tournaments before he was banned. You can see his hockey IQ watching him. I’m not calling him a bad player.

 

[NatusVincere]

Now it's back to a league of mostly Russians which wasn't the case a few years back. The KHL wanted to be an international league and had ambitious expansion plans. Not only did they fail, they also lost a good chunk of what they once had. Fair to say today's KHL is a far cry from what it once was. It's a league on the decline.

In 21/22 the KHL had 67% Russians. In 23/24 75.8%. In 2010, the heydays of the KHL if you believe the first graphic above, the KHL had 71.3% Russians… and even if salaries fall, the KHL still pays significantly more than any other league besides the NHL.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Yeah obviously each situation is different? Just because KHL has declined as a league doesn’t mean Michkov is going to suck. That’s the problem with these discussions is people get all butthurt and dismiss everything and get defensive.

It’s more a general discussion when it comes to the level of a prospect and his development. It’s the same reason it MIGHT mean Nikishin is being overvalued. It’s all conjecture. But it’s atleast able to be talked about.

Also what does pay have to do with league strength? These numbers don’t tell the story for every prospect but as a whole they line up. You can see lockouts like I said. You can see other leagues gaining steam when it’s clear as day they are. More Canadians than ever play in the NCAA and use the USHL to get there. Wow shocking the NHLe as a whole for those league(s) goes up.

It’s not using a number to make a statement on a specific player. It’s using every players numbers and then making a statement on a league. Like I am doing to say that I take KHL scoring with a grain of salt right now.

Butthurt and defensive? That seems to be you and your need to keep circling back to your unsolicited opinions on how the KHL sucks.

Frankly, whether and to what extent the KHL has "declined as a league" doesn't matter all that much in terms of discussion about a specific prospect and their specific development other than obsessing over "equivalency" charts. Prospect development really is not about stats as easy as that makes it. Great players can come from anywhere. If we are asking about how a respective all star team from each league would do, then sure I care about "equivalency", if we're asking how prospects might do, then I do not.

If Michkov stays in SKA all year, his stats will likely look very unpretty on a stat page, if he gets loaned out, they will likely look pretty. Amount of ice time and deployment are the most important things to be looking at if we are just trying to predict stats, but stats don't determine how good he might be in the NHL in four years.

For Nikishin, it's just that you can say "ok he is the best defenseman in the KHL" (I think this is pretty much consensus now), maybe a couple years ago if people hadn't left, the same Nikishin would be like.. idk 3rd or 4th? How much does that change the calculus of how good he is? Not too much because I'm interested in how good he will be for Carolina, not where he ranks amongst KHL defenseman this year compared to some other year.

 

[JohnLennon]

AHL is a farm league. It's not a real league in any meaningful sense. One look at the salaries alone tells you all you need to know.

As for fancy-stats experts saying the KHL is declining, they really have no ability to measure talent level over there. Absolutely meaningless gibberish, not to be taken seriously.

I know many people fall for this stuff. Show them a chart with an x-axis and a y-axis and they'll believe it's science. But this doesn't work on those with a modicum of critical skills.

Listen, just because you disagree that AHL is similar to KHL in terms of overall league quality, it doesn't mean you have to swing the complete other way in your opinion. Obviously the leagues are not that far off from each other.

Dmitrij Jaskin, a certified decent AHL player, led the KHL in scoring last season. Radulov, now 37 years old and unable to make the starting lineup in Dallas, was 3rd overall in KHL scoring. Reid Boucher and Taylor Beck were also among top 10 in scoring in the entire KHL, and they were no more dominant in the AHL when they played there (when they were younger and better, might I add).

I agree the KHL is a fantastic league but we don't have to discount the quality of the AHL in order to reach that conclusion. Frankly, I think it is at this point an actually fair argument to present that the AHL is on par, perhaps even better, than the KHL.

Spare us the holier than thou act as well, please, and just tell us you disagree with the stats and charts presented ahead of you instead of ridiculing the people who value those statistics while not offering anything of value to support your perspective aside from "look at the salaries".

 

[TLEH]

Butthurt and defensive? That seems to be you and your need to keep circling back to your unsolicited opinions on how the KHL sucks.

Frankly, whether and to what extent the KHL has "declined as a league" doesn't matter all that much in terms of discussion about a specific prospect and their specific development other than obsessing over "equivalency" charts. Prospect development really is not about stats as easy as that makes it. Great players can come from anywhere. If we are asking about how a respective all star team from each league would do, then sure I care about "equivalency", if we're asking how prospects might do, then I do not.

If Michkov stays in SKA all year, his stats will likely look very unpretty on a stat page, if he gets loaned out, they will likely look pretty. Amount of ice time and deployment are the most important things to be looking at if we are just trying to predict stats, but stats don't determine how good he might be in the NHL in four years.

For Nikishin, it's just that you can say "ok he is the best defenseman in the KHL" (I think this is pretty much consensus now), maybe a couple years ago if people hadn't left, the same Nikishin would be like.. idk 3rd or 4th? How much does that change the calculus of how good he is? Not too much because I'm interested in how good he will be for Carolina, not where he ranks amongst KHL defenseman this year compared to some other year.

it 100% matters? If a league is less competitive than in a prior year, the extent to which a prospect would dominate the league would be higher (or lower) based on league quality.

It’s the same discussion around Bedard too? The WHL numbers are similarly down. A guy like Benson scored like Reinhart but went 12th. Cristall 2nd round. Obviously size skating blah blah it all plays a part but dominance relative to peers matters. Bedard absolutely dominated the league, like almost no one has, but does that mean he is like scoring like McDavid or Crosby or is the WHL just slightly worse than in the 2010s. All of those discussions make sense.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Listen, just because you disagree that AHL is similar to KHL in terms of overall league quality, it doesn't mean you have to swing the complete other way in your opinion. Obviously they leagues are not that far off from each other.

Dmitrij Jaskin, a certified decent AHL player, led the KHL in scoring last season. Radulov, now 37 years old and unable to make the starting lineup in Dallas, was 3rd overall in KHL scoring. Reid Boucher and Taylor Beck were also among top 10 in scoring in the entire KHL, and they were no more dominant in the AHL when they played there (when they were younger and better, might I add).

I agree the KHL is a fantastic league but we don't have to discount the quality of the AHL in order to reach that conclusion. Frankly, I think it is at this point an actually fair argument to present that the AHL is on par, perhaps even better, than the KHL.

Spare us the holier than thou act as well, please, and just tell us you disagree with the stats and charts presented ahead of you instead of ridiculing the people who value those statistics while not offering anything of value to support your perspective aside from "look at the salaries".

Part of the issue is only looking at the top. I think few would doubt the top AHL scorers and top KHL scorers aren't all that different. Beck/Boucher were top AHL scorers before leaving, and are top KHL scorers and generally jive regarding league average.

The thing with the AHL though is that 2/3 of skaters must be "developmental players", while some aren't really true "developmental" players because they've played a lot in the ECHL, the AHL's overall focus on development means quality does need to be sacrificed amongst this bottom 2/3 group of players, and really the bottom 1/3 in general.

In the KHL, like the NHL, when the 21 year old makes a bonehead pass that leads to a bad turnover and a scoring chance, he might get benched for the rest of the game and possibly scratched the following night. In the AHL, he is in the exact environment to do that and depending on his stature as a prospect for the parent club, will continue to play. The 23 year old former 3rd round pick in the last year of his ELC gets to play ahead of the 27 year old former undrafted free agent on an AHL only deal even if he is worse because the NHL team is trying to figure out if they have anything at all with the Prospect before he runs out of waiver exempt status.

Quality AHL role players that run out of "development player eligibility" will often have to go pack their bags for Europe because they can't get a veteran slot reserved for the TJ Tynan/Rocco Grimaldi types of the world who are big scorers that just quite aren't able to drive line play in the NHL, aren't suited to role player or depth player capacities and would rather play their hockey at home than abroad. You just don't get that in the KHL or other big Euro Pro leagues because they are not developmental leagues and development is not prioritized by both league mandate as well as AHL teams (about 2/3 of which are owned directly by NHL parents) themselves.

 

[WarriorofTime]

it 100% matters? If a league is less competitive than in a prior year, the extent to which a prospect would dominate the league would be higher (or lower) based on league quality.

the level of league "domination" does not matter. I know it's what things like prospect boards obsess over, but it truly doesn't. The player's own development is the thing that matters. It's a margin thing that gets wildly blown out of proportion. These are all good enough leagues that we're not talking about guys showing up to 2nd division Latvian leagues or what have you and trying to make sense of it.

It’s the same discussion around Bedard too? The WHL numbers are similarly down. A guy like Benson scored like Reinhart but went 12th. Cristall 2nd round. Obviously size skating blah blah it all plays a part but dominance relative to peers matters. Bedard absolutely dominated the league, like almost no one has, but does that mean he is like scoring like McDavid or Crosby or is the WHL just slightly worse than in the 2010s. All of those discussions make sense.

I'm not sure what passive aggressive shots at Bedard have to do with anything, but was the WJC competition also down because Bedard skated circles around everyone at the most recent one... context again though, Crosby, MacKinnon and McDavid were all on big time teams in their draft year while Bedard was sort of carrying a lousy one. Specific stats are nice and all but they aren't the end all be all of anything unless you just need some numbers to spit out how you should feel about a player.

 

[JohnLennon]

Part of the issue is only looking at the top. I think few would doubt the top AHL scorers and top KHL scorers aren't all that different. Beck/Boucher were top AHL scorers before leaving, and are top KHL scorers and generally jive regarding league average.

The thing with the AHL though is that 2/3 of skaters must be "developmental players", while some aren't really true "developmental" players because they've played a lot in the ECHL, the AHL's overall focus on development means quality does need to be sacrificed amongst this bottom 2/3 group of players, and really the bottom 1/3 in general.

In the KHL, like the NHL, when the 21 year old makes a bonehead pass that leads to a bad turnover and a scoring chance, he might get benched for the rest of the game and possibly scratched the following night. In the AHL, he is in the exact environment to do that and depending on his stature as a prospect for the parent club, will continue to play. The 23 year old former 3rd round pick in the last year of his ELC gets to play ahead of the 27 year old former undrafted free agent on an AHL only deal even if he is worse because the NHL team is trying to figure out if they have anything at all with the Prospect before he runs out of waiver exempt status.

Quality AHL role players that run out of "development player eligibility" will often have to go pack their bags for Europe because they can't get a veteran slot reserved for the TJ Tynan/Rocco Grimaldi types of the world who are big scorers that just quite aren't able to drive line play in the NHL, aren't suited to role player or depth player capacities and would rather play their hockey at home than abroad. You just don't get that in the KHL or other big Euro Pro leagues because they are not developmental leagues and development is not prioritized by both league mandate as well as AHL teams (about 2/3 of which are owned directly by NHL parents) themselves.

I would think you and I are more or less on the same page, as I agree that the very bottom portion of the AHL is inferior to the KHL. I also think that it's possible the top-end of the AHL is starting to get better than the top-end of the KHL, but honestly, it is very difficult to directly compare leagues either way, which is why I took exception to that poster who had such a dramatic take about their comparison. They're actually just different types of hockey, at the end of the day.

I don't think the conversation needs to go in the direction of claiming the KHL is getting better or worse, and using that information to tell ourselves if Michkov is good or bad. While I would agree the KHL does seem to be slower on generating quality NHL talent over the last 4-5 years, I don't think that means 18-19-20 year old players performing at a high level in that league are somehow less exciting. I'm actually really excited about Alexander Nikishin, for example. Matvei Michkov is a prospect I can't wait to follow either. I also look at other Euro leagues and I think they're quickly approaching or even surpassing the KHL in terms of NHL-level player development, but again, it's a difficult comparison to make. That's also why I don't think NHLe graphs are that horrible of a metric, as long as we keep in mind it doesn't tell the full story.

 

[TLEH]

the level of league "domination" does not matter. I know it's what things like prospect boards obsess over, but it truly doesn't. The player's own development is the thing that matters. It's a margin thing that gets wildly blown out of proportion. These are all good enough leagues that we're not talking about guys showing up to 2nd division Latvian leagues or what have you and trying to make sense of it.

I'm not sure what passive aggressive shots at Bedard have to do with anything, but was the WJC competition also down because Bedard skated circles around everyone at the most recent one... context again though, Crosby, MacKinnon and McDavid were all on big time teams in their draft year while Bedard was sort of carrying a lousy one. Specific stats are nice and all but they aren't the end all be all of anything unless you just need some numbers to spit out how you should feel about a player.

I’m literally a Blackhawks fan it’s not passive aggressive lol it’s a discussion dude. & league domination relative to peers is 100000% a thing. Why do you think guys like Crosby and McDavid dominated their peers at historical levels? Shocking how the last two players to dominate the CHL at those levels are who they are. Shocking I tell you.

 

[Garl]

You think you're making a great point here, it's funny.

Well, you are not making an argument, just trying to mock

 

[Hanji]

Think it’s just been obvious over the past few years that the KHL has declined rapidly. I think that conversation definitely needs to be had when discussing Michkov’s KHL numbers and how they were seen as historic.

It’s been apparent for the last couple seasons that the AHL is the 2nd best league in the world, with the eye test.View attachment 741402




View attachment 741403

Does this method not skew stats in favor of the AHL because AHLrs are specifically groomed for the NHL style of game? The talent pool analyzed is also absurdly small if a 3rd league (NHL) is the basis for analyzation.

Would not a better method be a direct broad comparison between the KHL/AHL based on stats of players who played in both leagues? Would not this eliminate an entire layer of irrelevant factors?

All I know is the AHL is stacked full of young Russian prospects who are/would be borderline KHLrs.
All of this is so unscientific anyhow, even a direct league comparison is.

 

[Garl]

Thanks for proving my point. I think that you think you made some "gotcha" here, but have done quite the opposite.

A guy like Plotnikov comes in, fresh off playing in a top line top PP in the KHL, puts up .64 points in the KHL for a team that finishes 6th in the western conference and doesn't score much or surrender much. Goes to NHL, gets put in a 13th forward spot duty role, produces no offense, goes back to KHL, plays in top line roles and produces again.

Of couree its a gotcha moment, you are adressing only one case, and you do it with a manipulating intent, Plotnikov was a National team player, top powerforward in KHL, undoubtedly a top player in KHL, and he totally flopped in NHL.

1.KHL is not a 2nd best league anymore
2.It was always overrated

Bot

Does this method not skew stats in favor of the AHL because AHLrs are specifically groomed for the NHL style of game? The talent pool analyzed is also absurdly small if a 3rd league (NHL) is the basis for analyzation.

Would not a better method be a direct broad comparison between the KHL/AHL based on stats of players who played in both leagues? Would not this eliminate an entire layer of irrelevant factors?

All I know is the AHL is stacked full of young Russian prospects who are/would be borderline KHLrs.
All of this is so unscientific anyhow, even a direct league comparison.

Borderline KHLers? On Lada? Or on SKA?

 

[WarriorofTime]

Of couree its a gotcha moment,

Just not in the way that you intended it. Your point is basically "hey look this guy is good in the KHL but left after one season in the NHL because he didn't like his ice time", I suppose if your point is "KHL is not as good as NHL" then you have successfully taken down that strawman but my point is that it shows trying to plug numbers into a formula is mostly futile. Yes, a player going from 1st line top PP to 10 minutes a game when he does play, scratched for a month, in and out kinda scenario is obviously not going to produce. Play him top line, top PP in the NHL for three years and sure you'll get some points, even though he is not any better of a player than the one going through a 13th forward sort of ride for a reason before leaving.

Deployment matters.

 

[Hanji]

Of couree its a gotcha moment, you are adressing only one case, and you do it with a manipulating intent, Plotnikov was a National team player, top powerforward in KHL, undoubtedly a top player in KHL, and he totally flopped in NHL.

1.KHL is not a 2nd best league anymore
2.It was always overrated

Bot

Borderline KHLers? On Lada? Or on SKA?

Your post actually highlights what we already know. The AHL and KHL are close but the AHL lacks the high-end teams of the KHL.

Ive attended Admirals games for years. The amount of mistakes coaches are willing to live with is something you're unlikely to see in other professional leagues. The AHL is a development league. The #1 objective is to develop players and allocate them ice time. Winning games is objective #2.

 

[majormajor]

Ive attended Admirals games for years. The amount of mistakes coaches are willing to live with something you aren't going to see in other leagues. The AHL is a development league. The #1 objective is to develop players and allocate them ice time. Winning games is objective #2.

AHL is very messy hockey compared to the KHL. So I do agree with folks if they're suggesting it is harder to put up big totals in the KHL.

Of course this has little to do with Michkov or the relevance of his stats. The big reason his stats can't compared to previous top Russian prospects has little to do with the strength of the KHL, it's because most got a fraction of the ice time he did last year.

 

[Fantomas]

Listen, just because you disagree that AHL is similar to KHL in terms of overall league quality, it doesn't mean you have to swing the complete other way in your opinion. Obviously the leagues are not that far off from each other.

Dmitrij Jaskin, a certified decent AHL player, led the KHL in scoring last season. Radulov, now 37 years old and unable to make the starting lineup in Dallas, was 3rd overall in KHL scoring. Reid Boucher and Taylor Beck were also among top 10 in scoring in the entire KHL, and they were no more dominant in the AHL when they played there (when they were younger and better, might I add).

I agree the KHL is a fantastic league but we don't have to discount the quality of the AHL in order to reach that conclusion. Frankly, I think it is at this point an actually fair argument to present that the AHL is on par, perhaps even better, than the KHL.

Spare us the holier than thou act as well, please, and just tell us you disagree with the stats and charts presented ahead of you instead of ridiculing the people who value those statistics while not offering anything of value to support your perspective aside from "look at the salaries".

I never discounted the quality of the AHL. There's plenty of quality in the AHL, but it's a farm league and as such not in any way comparable to the KHL. Just because talent passes through it doesn't make it comparable. Salaries are a valid point and illustrate very simply how these leagues function.

My points about the stats are valid. A stat guy posts a chart which leaves more questions than answers. They do not have a sophisticated way to assess the level of play in the league, especially among younger players. And there's no way to effectively account for differences in style and the fact that certain players are more likely to thrive in that kind of environment and culture than others. You have to actually sit down and think this through. Pulling numbers doesn't do that for you.

You don't like my style? Fine. But I'm right.

 

[Hanji]

AHL is very messy hockey compared to the KHL. So I do agree with folks if they're suggesting it is harder to put up big totals in the KHL.

Of course this has little to do with Michkov or the relevance of his stats. The big reason his stats can't compared to previous top Russian prospects has little to do with the strength of the KHL, it's because most got a fraction of the ice time he did last year.

In some ways it could be more difficult to put up points in the AHL.
The AHL is 2 things. It's messy/sloppy hockey but it's very physical hockey; maybe more so than the NHL. That blend could make it more difficult for skilled players; particularly those who thrive on passing, structure, combination play.

It's just further illustrates why these league stat comparisons are so unscientific.

 

[TLEH]

It’s a tool, just like watching is also a tool. Only time will tell. I’ll take some stats that agree with my eyes over just some eyes. If the stats disagree with my eyes maybe I’m missing something. So you investigate further. Maybe the stat has flaws, like all do, maybe my eyes did really miss it.

Instead it’s my eyes see this and you don’t do wah wah stats bad. If you make opinions on stats alone it’s likely to be a poor opinion. I don’t see that happening here in this thread.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

KHL is over AHL.

AHL is a development league with professional beginners and finished veterans.

Additionally, there are 9 fewer teams in the KHL. So a better rationalized championship.

The level of goaltenders is significantly higher in the KHL. The KHL offensive elite is more talented than many plodding 4th line players who compensate with physicality. It's just that they are not talented enough to establish themselves in a top 6 NHL.

If Michkov is not currently playing with SKA it is because he is in this situation: players more mature than him to play on the offensive top 6 and not the style to play on the bottom 6.

 

[Zine]

Crazy to think if he was wearing Torpedos jersey today how much differently he would be utilized.

Larionov is an example of what a forward thinking coach with the go ahead from his org, to coach as he sees fit, can do in that league. He is actually deploying a lot of his young guys in key situations. Ex, 20yr old 1st pairing Dman in Konyushkov, Atanasov getting major minutes & PP time and putting up points.

On the other hand, Rottenberg just looks so lost anytime the camera cuts to him, it’s comical. Almost never see him actually engaging in dialogue with his players during the game. Always his assistants or trying to yell at refs.

Can only imagine the damage Michkov could do in that league under Igors deployment. Such a shame.

Interestingly the one younger guy who never thrived under Larionov is Arizona’s Ilya fedotov (dob 2003)…..who is now on SKA.
Rotenberg is now giving him more minutes than all of Michkov, Khusnutdinov and Demidov.
He’s a big physical player though.