Popugaev is really big, got good hands, is pretty mobile and with a heavy shot —I guess I don't need to comment about the value anymore here, as top-six potential is definitely there. There have been quite some discussion about his skating and to my eye it is far from perfect in terms of the stride, but is very good in terms of edgework, which makes him pretty mobile and agile on smaller distances. And again, it's good to remember that we are discussing skating of someone, who is over 6'5". Another issue with him is that he doesn't use his size enough (possibly needs to gain some upper body muscle strength) and seems to be not the hardest working guy and overall there is an impression that his attitude is a bit immature. While that description of his attitude would make him a classical boom-or-bust, I'd like to remind that he is a hockey player's son and those kind of fathers usually take care of attitude issues pretty well.
There was a rumor that Popugaev might leave WHL for Russia this summer, but I think his future will fully depend on the agreement with the team that will draft him.