EichelFan15
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After being taken off the first line he is only getting 5 mins of ice time the last couple games.
RW Matvei Michkov - SKA-1946 St.Petersburg, MHL (2023 Draft) Part 2
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Ultimately there are alot of options for Michkov including the VHL.
Let's wait a bit longer before we go to full blown Podkolzin complains though lol.
He will get more minutes against weaker teams. Against formidable opposition getting 5 minutes per game may not be the best option for him while he could play in worse leagues at 16(!!!). Giving him VHL AND MHL time might be a good development option.
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He dominated in the MHL last season one could claim leading the league in goals scored. It is probably a better option to send him to the VHL where a lot of 2022 draft class prospects are playing already.
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NatusVincere
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Michkov is (still) not able to keep up physically (no surprise). Bragin took him out against Yekaterinburg after his imo strongest shift with a lot of O time. But at some point SKA was down 0:3 and with a 16 year old it is difficult to exert physical pressure on the opponent, whereby Michkov is really not afraid of physical contact. Against Novgorod the game went against SKA from the start on… These are simply no conditions to give a 16 year old a lot of ice time. He can definitely keep up with the pace of the KHL.
EichelFan15
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I feel like being down a couple goals is exactly when you would want to play your dynamic (young) players but maybe shorten the bench if you were protecting a close lead.
He is 16. How often do we need to remind ourselves really? He is not yet a young dynamic player who can change the outcome of the game in the KHL. Maybe in the VHL he would be that already.
EichelFan15
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My comment wasn’t a critique of Michkov but rather how the coach is utilizing him. If you are down 3-0 why not play the most prolific young scorer to come along in years. Worst case he is a defensive liability and gets scored against and you lose a game you were probably going to anyways. Best case he generates offence, sparks the team and builds confidence which only helps the team in the long run. Just my 2 cents on how I would deploy Michkov in that situation. He has shown he can produce when given the opportunity - albeit in a blowout to a weak opponent.
Zine
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It's because SKA wants to win games. Sure Michkov has shown he can play at KHL level on a limited basis so far, but there are just better options than Michkov on SKA to come back from 0-3.
We shouldn't expect too much too soon. He's a 16 year old playing in the 2nd best league in the world.
I suspect he'll eventually be sent to the VHL with the occasional KHL call-up. That's good development. It's the exact same path Ovechkin took with Dynamo at 16, albeit in the old Russian League system.
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The most prolific young scorer on the team is still Marchenko.People get way too exited over some early limited success for Michkov.
kp61c
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I have to agree with Bragin once again. He is immensely talented and at times just outplays the grown men around him, but sometimes he just lacks experience and makes an occasional juniors play out of instinct I suppose and gets figured out by experienced defencemen. This is more than okay for a 16 years old. He is now gaining that experience, both the looks of the big league game and the humbling experience of not being able to dangle around everyone for once.
SoundAndFury
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NatusVincere
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I disagree. Playing time is a bit exaggerated in my opinion. We just saw with Wright that under certain circumstances and training conditions he lost not a piece despite less than a second of play in the entire regular season. Michkov has the opportunity to train at a very high level and gain experience in the first team. Bragin trusts him (as much as he can trust a 16 year old). He was allowed to play in critical situations and also was the playmaker on his PP unit in the first games. I think Bragin does believe in him. It is also good for Michkov's personal development to learn that nothing is free in life and that he has to earn his spot. He should stay where he is.
SoundAndFury
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Yeah, the issue is that SKA have like 15 other forwards that don't play everynight (or at all) because Michkov does. Someone like Groshev played 11 minutes this season, Morozov is in the VHL. Michkov isn't getting the minutes he's getting on merit. He does because he is the golden boy. Ok, the point was made - doors of the men's team are open to him. Now, time to get back to normal.
Let's have this one sorted out correctly though. Morozov is a center, so he is by design not taken away a spot by Michkov. He is in the VHL because he is on thetrading block. It is official and confirmed. He refused to resign and SKA is looking to move him.
Then Michkov is certainly one of the best if not the best U20 option. So I don't see how he is taking spots away from anyone comparable.
Atoyot
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Again, Svechkov is a center.
And both Svechkov and Chibrikov are at this point arguably on the same level.
Atoyot
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Still same level player. They will have to share spots, move down to the VHL or play against weaker teams. It will hit Michkov just the same as everybody else going forward I suppose. THe Russia-Canada-Series is not a thing again, so there will be some more KHL action for all of them.
Let's face it, before the season I did not expect any of them but Chibrikov to get any significant KHL time.
SoundAndFury
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Let's have this sorted out correctly though. The fact that SKA are looking to move him because he refused to sign is neither official nor confirmed. All that has been said is that they are "looking at trade options" which means next to nothing. Furthermore, the center thing is irrelevant at this point. With the number of centers, they have some of them are bound to play wing. Khusnutdinov is a center as well, isn't he? It's about getting the best players on the ice.
SKA has 16 forwards over 20 who are clearly kinda too good for the VHL (plus Khusnutdinov who is U20 but firmly first team member at this point). Including Groshev, Bardakov, Morozov. Saying Michkov isn't taking away anyone's spot is just.. weird. I would understand insisting on him playing in the KHL if he was tearing VHL apart but he hasn't played a single game there.
Also, as someone who critiques "NA media narratives" so much (rightfully so most of the time) it's weird that you got yourself hooked on this "looking to trade Morozov because he refused extension" idea which is nothing more than a media narrative as well. Marchenko is in the exact same situation, why isn't he in the VHL then?
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I agree with this. He’s too good for lower leagues and the benefits he’s receiving by training, practicing and learning in a professional men’s program are going to serve him very well, despite limited game time (in September… lots of time to earn more).
People underestimate the value in practicing every day with more nature and smarter players. That will push him every single day.
SoundAndFury
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Ротенберг о возможном обмене Морозова: «Пока не получили достойных предложений. Смотрим на ситуацию»
It does not get more official than Rotenberg and what kind of additional confirmation do you need there? It was a clear yes. Also talking about him needing to show something in the VHL is basically an indirect confirmation of annoyance. We both know Morozov has nothing to prove in the VHL. Heck, he was playing on the senior NT last season and he was playing well. His play is surely not the reason why he is not playing in the KHL right now.
It literally means what I said. He is on the trading block.
I am a bit of an expert at that as an AkBars fan
There are guys who can be moved to wing, there are some that are stapled to the C position. As I wrote already too Khusnutdinov got the bad grades at faceoffs as reason for being on the wing by Bragin. Morozov is pretty much that second sort of guy. He always played center and he would if he was in the KHL. It's not in terms of him not being the worse player taken over better players to occupy the spot. That logjam is something that happenned at season start basically. On one hand SKA created that situation themselves hoarding the prospects on the other hand no one me included could have expected Michkov being that far in his development. And same for some other guys. On paper before the season Michkov was in the VHL with maybe some few games in the KHL. AND same would apply to Svechkov. Chibrikov was the only 2021 draftee and younger one I expected to get SOMEWHAT regular duty on the KHL roster. Khusnutdinov emerged as a regular from season start too, not before. Last season he did not look like a regular KHLer yet. You can't predict those perfectly. Now obviously SKA has too many young forwards who COULD play in the KHL at least some limited minutes. So yes, the problem is real and we will have to see how they solve it, but I don't see at this point Michkov as a worse guy than any of those young prospects. They are all not yet ready to play full minutes. In my personal opinion - move them to the VHL, create a stacked young team and have only one or two spots in the KHL for rotation of those young VHLers.
I do not insist on that. It is though a more complicated issue of conflicting schedules and stuff like that.
Because I call a cat a cat? In this exact situation I find it believeable. That's all. I was presented with enough evidence and direct speech to be on that side of the fence. Also there is OBVIOUSLY more to it than just the contract talks. There are sometimes those personal relations within the team. Apparently Morozov is not on good terms with the front office anymore AND he refuses to sign. AND let's not forget he is a center who are rare n Russia. It is easier to replace Marchenko, who might as well be gone as early as next season, but did not get into the doghouse off the ice maybe. And let's not forget MArchenko is one of the best forwards on the team right now. I've heard rumors(which aren't confirmed, so they are really just rumors) about Morozov coming to camp out of shpae too. So there is variety of factors that might have influenced the drama. But here we are. Facts are Morzov is outside Rotenberg's grace, in the VHL and on the trading block. As well aas we know for a fact that he is no VHL by any measure at this point.
If we talk about trade possibilities they are scarce. I can imagine that despite him being a rental at this point SKA wants a king's ransom. Bad situation for Morozov for sure.
SoundAndFury
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My point exactly. Furthermore, if SKA really wanted to trade him he would be gone already, literally every team in the league wants the Russian top-6 center paid a reasonable salary (his first real pro contract). So all this dancing around, as you said, there are obviously issues within SKA with Morozov for whatever reason but I'm really not sure it's about his extension and I'm also not sure they are as dead set on trading him as implied.
It also doesn't quite make sense from the long-term perspective. What's the point of ruining the relationship with the guy who will be on the NT for years?
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