AkBars Kazan 2017/2018 Champions Thread

[Atas2000]

We're going into a long winter sleep. Popov and Azevedo out for a looong time.

Also we can't play against the refs. They have an agenda against AkBars. It is way to obvious. Just check the majors against AkBars this season. The ONLY ONE justified was last night against Abrosimov.

Going to be a fun season now. The team will be healthy right before the Olympics break it seems. Will probabaly drop to 4-5th by that time.

 

[SoundAndFury]

You are seriously saying Zakharchuk smashing Budkin's face to bits didn't warrant a major?

 

[tsamolotoff]

Budkin is already out of the injured list, while we had 3 players banned before this game, and 3 players with serious injuries. Each game we get 5+20, 10 mins and so on for no reason. Good that there was a more or less decent reffing today (I sincerely hope Kovy would have to pay some fine or whatever for his badmouthing the refs (Abrosimov got 5 games disqualification for that))

Going to be a fun season now. The team will be healthy right before the Olympics break it seems. Will probabaly drop to 4-5th by that time.

And they just loaned Mikheyev, probably a rash decision, he was sort of good in the pre-season games (better than Golubev, definitely). Hopefully Tkachev & team would stay on a roll for a while longer, and the team can do like it was in 08-09 and sign some 'temporary' foreigner (*cough* Athanasiou *cough*) before Justin gets well again

 

[Atas2000]

Budkin is already out of the injured list, while we had 3 players banned before this game, and 3 players with serious injuries. Each game we get 5+20, 10 mins and so on for no reason. Good that there was a more or less decent reffing today (I sincerely hope Kovy would have to pay some fine or whatever for his badmouthing the refs (Abrosimov got 5 games disqualification for that))

And they just loaned Mikheyev, probably a rash decision, he was sort of good in the pre-season games (better than Golubev, definitely). Hopefully Tkachev & team would stay on a roll for a while longer, and the team can do like it was in 08-09 and sign some 'temporary' foreigner (*cough* Athanasiou *cough*) before Justin gets well again

As for Mikheev we still have 6 centers on the roster. We need wingers. Kara was on the bench today. Eager to see what he can do if he actually plays.

And the good game today doesn't change the fact that we have a less talented roster to ice for the next 6-8 weeks.

Tkachev has to carry the load now. The good news is he actually can.

 

[Atas2000]

You are seriously saying Zakharchuk smashing Budkin's face to bits didn't warrant a major?

No, it didn't. Injury or not is not defining the punishment. Players injure themselves sometimes. Should we start giving out bench suspensions for that, because you know "his face was smashed to pieces".

Players skating low with their head down get hit in the head all the time. The modern day stupidity in both leagues punishes players for nothing here. The penalty is a result of a too hard a hit for today's reffing. The injury is the result of carelessness of the player injured. If he'd smash himself head first into the boards who would you blame? The boards?

 

[Atas2000]

We can't catch a break!

10 players from the system called up to the national teams for the first international break.

Ohtamaa (FIN)
Sekac (CZ)
Lander (SWE)
Klinkhammer (CAN)
Tkachev, Tokranov (RUS)

to the Karjala Cup

Azevedo would probabaly be on Team Canada too if healthy.

Yarullin (RUS)

to the Germany Cup with the russian B-Team

Bogatov, Kara to the Canada-Russia-Series

Marushev to the 4-Nations-Tournament in Balashikha.

Good luck to the boys! Playing for your country is always an honor.

Looking forward to the Karjala Cup Russia's top line of Gusev - Tkachev - Kaprizov. Run and hide everybody!

 

[WildcatMapleLeafs28]

Any updates on Khovanov, Atas ?

 

[Atas2000]

Any updates on Khovanov, Atas ?

Nothing new here. I don't expect any news till 2018 anyway.

 

[Atas2000]

A quick first international break writeup.

Team is in limbo. Not good enough to win it all. Too good to fail completely.

Positives:

Tkachev is back to normal.

Sekac is still the best foreigner signing of recent years. Not too flashy, but effective in his role on the foreigner line and on the PP.

Klinkhammer's grit and net presence will be even more valuable in the playoffs.

Lukoyanov contnues to impress as a bottom 6 role model. Works his arse off every shift. Wouldn't mind him on Tkachev's wing.

Yaz'kov starts to look promising. Looks like a very good callup now.

Sidorov should contnue to grow. Speed is crucial for today's game and he has that. He could outgrow our stalled "young" "promising" Yarullin and Musin(can we dump him on a road trip?)

Third line of Glinkin - Popov - Glukhov is perfect. Wouldn't change a thing.

Malykhin close to the net is deadly Why he is on Bill's 4th line is the Great Mystery of Bill.

Like the Kosov trade. Too early to tell, but I always liked the player. Not solving any major problems, but he should fit in well.

Limbo:

Foreigner line.They are good... then they they are invisible. That on and off is really troubling. I pin it to Azevedo. He basically drives the line as he should and he seems to be inconsistent from game to game.

Lander is not anything special. Your middle of the pack swedish forward. If only he could shoot...

Negatives:

GOALTENDING! A team like AkBars can't afford such mediocrity as Garipov in net.

We still need at least one top line forward. Klinkhammer on Tkachev's wing is okay, but I'd like t see him on a shutdown line more with major minutes on the PP to park his body in front of the net.

Galiev is riding Tkachev's coattails. Hard to imagine what Tkachev could do with an actually skilled winger.

Markov is out of gas. Period.

The three on the D. Abrosimov, Musin, Zaharchuk. Pretty useless.

 

[tsamolotoff]

-Totally agree on Sekac, he's very well suited to our style of game (today's breakaway goal is a testament to that)
- Not sure what happens to Tkachev - sometimes he's on fire, sometimes he seems to be totally lost and in some sort of despair (like today). Suddenly he starts to overplay moments, loose the puck or cause unneeded offside calls and so on.
- With Malykhins' loss, our PP is now officially dead, not sure how it looked on TV, but it was atrocious at the actual rink (these failed backdrop and cross-rink passes, super-slow skating, no one except Markov can play the blue line properly, and so on).
- First game when the bottom 6 and underachievers like Galiev actually carried it, somewhat satisfying (also, no dumbf*** antics today by Garipov unlike the Minsk game and his 'help' to Glukhov)

 

[Atas2000]

-Totally agree on Sekac, he's very well suited to our style of game (today's breakaway goal is a testament to that)
- Not sure what happens to Tkachev - sometimes he's on fire, sometimes he seems to be totally lost and in some sort of despair (like today). Suddenly he starts to overplay moments, loose the puck or cause unneeded offside calls and so on.
- With Malykhins' loss, our PP is now officially dead, not sure how it looked on TV, but it was atrocious at the actual rink (these failed backdrop and cross-rink passes, super-slow skating, no one except Markov can play the blue line properly, and so on).
- First game when the bottom 6 and underachievers like Galiev actually carried it, somewhat satisfying (also, no dumb**** antics today by Garipov unlike the Minsk game and his 'help' to Glukhov)

Another injury. Sigh...

We're in for a looong month. And today we face CSKA. December schedule is tough. Without the 3 forwatds it will be a rough ride.

 

[Atas2000]

He is back.

 

[WildcatMapleLeafs28]

Khovanov arrived in Moncton last night.

Second Overall Import Draft Selection, Alexander Khovanov Arrives in Moncton! – Moncton Wildcats

 

[Atas2000]

Khovanov arrived in Moncton last night.

Second Overall Import Draft Selection, Alexander Khovanov Arrives in Moncton! – Moncton Wildcats

He is running off every time. Great character.

 

[Atas2000]

Change of management starts to kick in.

Manukhov looked really good in his first game. When I think he is the return for dumping Paigin I never wanted back, I am more than pleased.

Maxim Salakhov signed out of the VHL. Size and reports are impressive. Leads the VHL in +/- by a mile on a team that has a -7 goal differential and is 17th in the stadings. 3rd in scoring among D-men. If he can translate half that to the KHL he will be a valuable addition.

Potapov was an emergency signing and he is decent. A 4th liner. Not bad, not good, gets the job of an emergency signing done. And he is propably aware he is off to the press box/VHL as soon as everybody's healthy.

Even our bum in net got scared by the rumors the team is actively scouting the goalie market. He was really solid the last 4 or so games. I give him that.

P.S. Zaripov is officially back. He is scoring goals.

 

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

You're too hard on Garipov. He's not a bad goalie at all.

 

[Atas2000]

You're too hard on Garipov. He's not a bad goalie at all.

He is. And Galimov is a much better one, but Galimov's dad isn't close friends with team's brass. That is the only reason Garipov always gets the starts. Garipov cant't play outside the crease if his life depended on it. Gives up rebounds on nearly every shot. Does his stupid stunts in the crease all the time because he lacks technique. He is not a garbage backup. He is just a very mediocre goaltender. Not a starter for a team like AkBars.

Sharychenkov has my sincere compassion for what he is about to go through. Being a backup to a worse goalie. It was tough for Galimov I can imagine.

 

[tsamolotoff]

Not sure if I'd welcome Burmi back, considering how he left the team and the fact that he is a current symbol for every bad quality that are usually ascribed to Russian players - he's soft, not really keen on going to defend the net, has a massive ego (he could probably have made a great career as Sean Avery-lite if he was a native speaker and put his mind into it), not compatible with the current system.

Manukhov looked really good in his first game. When I think he is the return for dumping Paigin I never wanted back, I am more than pleased.

Let's see, it's just one game. I think he'll be a backup defender closer to the playoffs if everyone is healthy (although it's probably better to skate him rather than Batyrshin, he's suddenly got old in this season, painful to watch him on PK - he's never there when the opposition players are in the crease)

 

[Atas2000]

Not sure if I'd welcome Burmi back, considering how he left the team and the fact that he is a current symbol for every bad quality that are usually ascribed to Russian players - he's soft, not really keen on going to defend the net, has a massive ego (he could probably have made a great career as Sean Avery-lite if he was a native speaker and put his mind into it), not compatible with the current system.

Let's see, it's just one game. I think he'll be a backup defender closer to the playoffs if everyone is healthy (although it's probably better to skate him rather than Batyrshin, he's suddenly got old in this season, painful to watch him on PK - he's never there when the opposition players are in the crease)

I definitely like the youth movement. One can only hope they decrease the roles of some vets and then not resign some of them in the offseason.

As for Burmistrov... Same as Paigin. He didn't want to be on this team, so he shouldn't. Also of all teams we don't need centers. Trade him, get a bag of pucks.

 

[tsamolotoff]

So, if everyone is not injured:
Galiev - Lander - Zaripov
Azevedo - Tkachev - Sekac
Malykhin - Burmistrov - Klinkhammer
Glinkin - Popov - Glukhov / or a grinder line of Lukoyanov / Potapov / Glukhov


We are almost as stacked as SKA is, just need to learn how to play with such players

 

[Atas2000]

So, if everyone is not injured:
Galiev - Lander - Zaripov
Azevedo - Tkachev - Sekac
Malykhin - Burmistrov - Klinkhammer
Glinkin - Popov - Glukhov / or a grinder line of Lukoyanov / Potapov / Glukhov


We are almost as stacked as SKA is, just need to learn how to play with such players

D and G also play hockey. Just saying.

 

[tsamolotoff]

D and G also play hockey. Just saying.

Well, even if you consider Garipov's factor, both D and G were not much worse than SKA's goalies and defenders.

 

[Atas2000]

Garipov is definitely no match to SKA goaltending. The D I agree about. People overrate SKA's D. It is porous.

 

[SoundAndFury]

So this Galiev guy with 8 points in his last 8 games? Thoughts, comments? "How's Galiev an asset at all? A medoicre AHLer" - is he an asset yet?

 

[Atas2000]

So this Galiev guy with 8 points in his last 8 games? Thoughts, comments? "How's Galiev an asset at all? A medoicre AHLer" - is he an asset yet?

No. He is not. Playing with team's best players(for whatever reason) he collects points, but he genrates nothing. He is absolutely complementary offensively, non-existent defensively and always good for a tremedously stupid decision on the ice that results in a posession loss at best.

The problem with him is you can't put him on the bottom 6. He would be utterly useless there, so Bill keps plugging him on the top 2 lines. We have bunches of forwards who would replace him nicely there, but his one sidedness and their versatility weirdly enough protects his top 6 spot.

And don't even want to talk about Bill's top 6. His lines are a mystery. He hangs on to combos that are not working, he never gives combos that accidentially worked a chance. Playing Galiev perfectly falls into this pattern.