LD Yegor Rykov - Severstal Cherepovets, KHL (2016, 132nd, NJD; traded to NYR)

[Caser]

 

[Caser]

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

SKA is really screwing around with his development. This new coach didn't use him in either of the first two games, even though I think he's better than almost all of their defensemen.

He played in the VHL today. He doesn't belong in that league. If he's not going to play for SKA, he needs a trade to another KHL team or a release from the final year of his contract, so he can join the Rangers, either with the AHL team or the NHL team. I guess that depends on how he'd play in training camp.

 

[AmericanDream]

SKA is really screwing around with his development. This new coach didn't use him in either of the first two games, even though I think he's better than almost all of their defensemen.

He played in the VHL today. He doesn't belong in that league. If he's not going to play for SKA, he needs a trade to another KHL team or a release from the final year of his contract, so he can join the Rangers, either with the AHL team or the NHL team. I guess that depends on how he'd play in training camp.

not sure what is going on there but that is crazy, kid belongs up on the big squad, he looked solid last year and deserves a top 4 role...if not, send his ass over here!

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

not sure what is going on there but that is crazy, kid belongs up on the big squad, he looked solid last year and deserves a top 4 role...if not, send his ass over here!

They have a new coach, so its a new boss to prove your worth to. Evidently, this new coach is playing his veterans over Rykov. Rykov played a decent amount last season. Less than he probably deserved, but still enough to develop well. He's 21 years old now though. Too good for the VHL. Somethings gotta give. Being SKA's 10th defensemen isn't going to cut it.

 

[Zine]

Then it’s up to him to prove himself.

Regardless, welcome to the ridiculousness of SKA hoarding talent. Belov, Rukavishnikov, Zemchenyok, Karpov, Kruchinin, Li, etc have yet to play either.

 

[Lays]

SKA is really screwing around with his development. This new coach didn't use him in either of the first two games, even though I think he's better than almost all of their defensemen.

He played in the VHL today. He doesn't belong in that league. If he's not going to play for SKA, he needs a trade to another KHL team or a release from the final year of his contract, so he can join the Rangers, either with the AHL team or the NHL team. I guess that depends on how he'd play in training camp.

SKA can seriously hurt his development this year. Rykov is legitimately a good KHL dman and it really pissed me off that he played VHL today and he looked shaky. He seemed afraid to make mistakes, if this goes on it can potentially ruin Rykov. Have a feeling SKA knows he’s going overseas next year and they’re a bit salty about that

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Then it’s up to him to prove himself.

Regardless, welcome to the ridiculousness of SKA hoarding talent. Belov, Rukavishnikov, Zemchenyok, Karpov, Kruchinin, Li, etc have yet to play either.

And which of those players is a legitimate NHL prospect? None. They are all career minor leaguers, except for Belov who tried his hand at the NHL and failed.

All hockey players main goal is to reach the NHL, even the Russian ones who we hear questioned so much if they'll come over to NA or not. SKA is keeping Rykov from developing.

Either trade him or release him from the final year of his contract. What does it matter if Rukasvishnikov plays 20 games this season instead of 55? He'll get paid a huge contract, and thats probably his main goal at this point. Rykov still needs to work his way up. He has potential to play for a much larger sum than these backups get with SKA, but he's not going to get there by sitting in the press box for a season or playing in the VHL. Besides, thats not even to mention whether it makes sense. You really think its fair to play guys like Zubarev, Rundblad, Tokranov, Khafizullin ahead of Rykov? Minor league coach in a minor league hurting a legitimate NHL prospect's career.

 

[My3Sons]

And which of those players is a legitimate NHL prospect? None. They are all career minor leaguers, except for Belov who tried his hand at the NHL and failed.

All hockey players main goal is to reach the NHL, even the Russian ones who we hear questioned so much if they'll come over to NA or not. SKA is keeping Rykov from developing.

Either trade him or release him from the final year of his contract. What does it matter if Rukasvishnikov plays 20 games this season instead of 55? He'll get paid a huge contract, and thats probably his main goal at this point. Rykov still needs to work his way up. He has potential to play for a much larger sum than these backups get with SKA, but he's not going to get there by sitting in the press box for a season or playing in the VHL. Besides, thats not even to mention whether it makes sense. You really think its fair to play guys like Zubarev, Rundblad, Tokranov, Khafizullin ahead of Rykov? Minor league coach in a minor league hurting a legitimate NHL prospect's career.

Sadly, if the team is upset that Rykov won't extend with them, they may sit him for much of the season. Is it petty? Yes. Is it wrong? Yes. But human nature is what it is. If they don't plan on playing him, let him go to NY and get started on that.

 

[Atas2000]

And which of those players is a legitimate NHL prospect? None. They are all career minor leaguers, except for Belov who tried his hand at the NHL and failed.

All hockey players main goal is to reach the NHL, even the Russian ones who we hear questioned so much if they'll come over to NA or not. SKA is keeping Rykov from developing.

Either trade him or release him from the final year of his contract. What does it matter if Rukasvishnikov plays 20 games this season instead of 55? He'll get paid a huge contract, and thats probably his main goal at this point. Rykov still needs to work his way up. He has potential to play for a much larger sum than these backups get with SKA, but he's not going to get there by sitting in the press box for a season or playing in the VHL. Besides, thats not even to mention whether it makes sense. You really think its fair to play guys like Zubarev, Rundblad, Tokranov, Khafizullin ahead of Rykov? Minor league coach in a minor league hurting a legitimate NHL prospect's career.

I understand your bias and emotions, but...

Tokranov is easily ahead of Rykov as an OD is way more mature and experienced. Khafizullin is a steady guy. There is no way I would dress Rykov ahead of them in the KHL. Your rant about the coach is also misplaced. He's won cups as assistant and head coach. He knows enough about hockey and also player development. You put your finger on the wrong reasons.

He has a SKA to coach. Even Znarok knows by now how much of a curse ut may be. And even away from that his goal is to win in the KHL. As long as the team wins with or without Rykov he is doing it right. On the SKA side of things he has to manage that absurd double-roster. He can't do much about it but by sitting players who would otherwise be dressed for all but maybe 2-3 other teams in the league every game. He also is under pressuure as SKA and NT coach. I wonder how limited he is in his decision making. Probably one of the reasons Znarok got fired.

Yes, the Rykov situation is messed up. He is obviously to leave soon. So SKA is not very interested or in huge need of his services. They won't release him either though(as they do with other players) as he might be an asset for them as a possible retournee. He is in limbo in a way. I always say it's all in their hands. Nobody could prevent him from walking. So part of the blame also goes to the players who continue that travesty with SKA, not Rykov alone. Naturally if I was in his position I would demand a trade even before the season. To whatever team in the KHL. The worse the team the better. But I am not Rykov. And we will continue observing this strange case of SKA unfolding with all those promising young players polishing the bench instead of playing with some 2nd tier team and thus making the league better and developing.

I would play Rykov ahead of a couple of guys on SKA defence, but as I wrote it is probably a very shrewed story the way players get their starts with SKA and not entirely for the coach to decide. Just a bad org, that should win the cup every year with that roster and money, but doesn't exactly because of those internal issues.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I understand your bias and emotions, but...

Tokranov is easily ahead of Rykov as an OD is way more mature and experienced. Khafizullin is a steady guy. There is no way I would dress Rykov ahead of them in the KHL. Your rant about the coach is also misplaced. He's won cups as assistant and head coach. He knows enough about hockey and also player development. You put your finger on the wrong reasons.

He has a SKA to coach. Even Znarok knows by now how much of a curse ut may be. And even away from that his goal is to win in the KHL. As long as the team wins with or without Rykov he is doing it right. On the SKA side of things he has to manage that absurd double-roster. He can't do much about it but by sitting players who would otherwise be dressed for all but maybe 2-3 other teams in the league every game. He also is under pressuure as SKA and NT coach. I wonder how limited he is in his decision making. Probably one of the reasons Znarok got fired.

Yes, the Rykov situation is messed up. He is obviously to leave soon. So SKA is not very interested or in huge need of his services. They won't release him either though(as they do with other players) as he might be an asset for them as a possible retournee. He is in limbo in a way. I always say it's all in their hands. Nobody could prevent him from walking. So part of the blame also goes to the players who continue that travesty with SKA, not Rykov alone. Naturally if I was in his position I would demand a trade even before the season. To whatever team in the KHL. The worse the team the better. But I am not Rykov. And we will continue observing this strange case of SKA unfolding with all those promising young players polishing the bench instead of playing with some 2nd tier team and thus making the league better and developing.

I would play Rykov ahead of a couple of guys on SKA defence, but as I wrote it is probably a very shrewed story the way players get their starts with SKA and not entirely for the coach to decide. Just a bad org, that should win the cup every year with that roster and money, but doesn't exactly because of those internal issues.

We don't really know how good Rykov is because of how little he plays. What we know is that he's been one of the best top 30-50 players in his draft year, and he's proven this in junior international tournaments. He's also at least a good KHL defensemen, even in the limited minutes he played last season. He was really good, and deserved more time than he got last season. He should've went from that to a bigger role this season.

Instead, the new coach comes in, and he has no use for Rykov. He prefers career KHL'ers. Tokranov is not a bad player, but how can you say he's easily ahead of Rykov without knowing for sure how good Rykov is? I disagree about Khafizullin, but thats besides the point. Rykov is 21 years old. Most players about his caliber and age around the world are very close to being NHL ready. If Rykov is the prospect that he gets credit for being, he should have no issue being one of the best defensemen in the KHL this season. We see a player like Kaprizov is one of the best forwards in the KHL. I'm not saying Rykov is as good of a defenseman as Kaprizov is a forward, but you can look towards the goalies, as well. A player Rykov's age should be one of the best players at his position in the KHL. But he won't get that chance to be that without playing.

Of course SKA is a big part of the issue, but for most of the players the issue for them is not playing one year of their career that doesn't actually matter that much. Rykov is a player with bigger stakes. He could be a lot more important of a hockey player than the majority of the SKA players who aren't playing. That is less likely to happen though if he ends up wasting a year of his development. Its a bigger issue than just Rykov. It is a problem for a lot of the prospects from their team. Are teams going to not want to draft Podkolzin because he's at SKA? SKA isn't helping the development of guys like Morozov, Marchenko, Maltsev, Altbarmakyan, Syomin, Galenyuk. They didn't help Volkov or Dergachyov.

 

[bigdog16]

Had that brutal turnover the other day that resulted in a goal. Maybe theres little room for error with the options on the back end. SKA doesnt owe Rykov anything, especially knowing hes jumping to N.A. Im sure things would be different if they knew they had him for a few years. Sure he will get the short end of the stick knowing hes gone. Why do Russian players even speak out about their future decisions? They should just keep quiet

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Had that brutal turnover the other day that resulted in a goal. Maybe theres little room for error with the options on the back end. SKA doesnt owe Rykov anything, especially knowing hes jumping to N.A. Im sure things would be different if they knew they had him for a few years. Sure he will get the short end of the stick knowing hes gone. Why do Russian players even speak out about their future decisions? They should just keep quiet

He had one error in a league he's clearly too good to play in. Lets not make it more than it was. He was probably rusty, anyway.

Rykov also didn't say anything about his future plans. I don't know where this idea is coming from that he's definitely going to come to NA after the year. He could've stayed with SKA and re-signed for a couple of years. I don't think thats going to happen though, if he isn't playing.

 

[bigdog16]

He had one error in a league he's clearly too good to play in. Lets not make it more than it was. He was probably rusty, anyway.

Rykov also didn't say anything about his future plans. I don't know where this idea is coming from that he's definitely going to come to NA after the year. He could've stayed with SKA and re-signed for a couple of years. I don't think thats going to happen though, if he isn't playing.

Clearly too good to play in? You think he would be an NHL regular right now? KHL is the second best league in the world. I agree he is getting shafted but hes certainly not too good for the league

 

[Atas2000]

We don't really know how good Rykov is because of how little he plays. What we know is that he's been one of the best top 30-50 players in his draft year, and he's proven this in junior international tournaments. He's also at least a good KHL defensemen, even in the limited minutes he played last season. He was really good, and deserved more time than he got last season. He should've went from that to a bigger role this season.

Instead, the new coach comes in, and he has no use for Rykov. He prefers career KHL'ers. Tokranov is not a bad player, but how can you say he's easily ahead of Rykov without knowing for sure how good Rykov is? I disagree about Khafizullin, but thats besides the point. Rykov is 21 years old. Most players about his caliber and age around the world are very close to being NHL ready. If Rykov is the prospect that he gets credit for being, he should have no issue being one of the best defensemen in the KHL this season. We see a player like Kaprizov is one of the best forwards in the KHL. I'm not saying Rykov is as good of a defenseman as Kaprizov is a forward, but you can look towards the goalies, as well. A player Rykov's age should be one of the best players at his position in the KHL. But he won't get that chance to be that without playing.

Of course SKA is a big part of the issue, but for most of the players the issue for them is not playing one year of their career that doesn't actually matter that much. Rykov is a player with bigger stakes. He could be a lot more important of a hockey player than the majority of the SKA players who aren't playing. That is less likely to happen though if he ends up wasting a year of his development. Its a bigger issue than just Rykov. It is a problem for a lot of the prospects from their team. Are teams going to not want to draft Podkolzin because he's at SKA? SKA isn't helping the development of guys like Morozov, Marchenko, Maltsev, Altbarmakyan, Syomin, Galenyuk. They didn't help Volkov or Dergachyov.

The thing is I do know how good Rykov is. And I obviously know Tokranov more than well. The difference for now is maturity. Not experience, but maturity. Rykov is still 21 and for all the love he os not one of those unique D prospects who are great right out of the gate. He will get there in time. And as ypu could see I wrote that he'd be a regular on most KHL teams. Just not on SKA. That is a problem, but also his problem. If he wants to control his fate he has but to do so.

And the new, the old, the whatever coach has objectively a certain goal with SKA and it's not giving all young players minutes. I don't see a problem with not giving all the young players minutes in general.

And you might not like the following as a Rangers fan, but in fact Rykov is not in the same tier as those other guys who would shine in the KHL at 21. He can still develop especially as a defenceman and become a solid pro, but there never was potential like say sure shot top 4 NHL D-man. He might or might not reach that level at some point in his career. Right now I strongly doubt he'd be one of the top KHL defencemen right away if given playing time. Maybe in a couple of years. Nikita Zaytsev is a good comparable and note that Zaytsev always was rated a bit higher as a prospect.

And you aren't being fair to other SKA younglings. Rykov is not the brightest star among them. They are in the same boat though in terms of being with SKA. Still different cases. All those Yugra guys for example. They aren't SKA products. It is probably a tougher decision for Rykov to leave.

I also don't see how Dergachyov's development was hurt. He is doing fine and right at the projected level. One of the players overrated by some. He never was going to be a sure shot actually.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Clearly too good to play in? You think he would be an NHL regular right now? KHL is the second best league in the world. I agree he is getting shafted but hes certainly not too good for the league

That game you’re both referring to was in the VHL

 

[bigdog16]

That game you’re both referring to was in the VHL

Thats my fault. In that case yes, way too good for VHL

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I wonder if they would agree to a contract termination and let him join the Rangers now. How much could they really get for an expiring contract who doesn't want to re-sign?

 

[Kshahdoo]

СКА и ХК «Сочи» произвели обмен - ХК СКА Санкт-Петербург, 2018/10/05

Traded to HC Sochi, where Sergei Zubov is a head coach. I hope, he'll teach Yegor a thing or two about hockey.

 

[Atas2000]

I wonder if they would agree to a contract termination and let him join the Rangers now. How much could they really get for an expiring contract who doesn't want to re-sign?

Are you happy now? You have to be more patient sometimes.

 

[Tripod]

СКА и ХК «Сочи» произвели обмен - ХК СКА Санкт-Петербург, 2018/10/05

Traded to HC Sochi, where Sergei Zubov is a head coach. I hope, he'll teach Yegor a thing or two about hockey.

Great person to learn from. Zubov was a treat to watch skating.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Are you happy now? You have to be more patient sometimes.

Should’ve happened way earlier than 15 games into the season, but it’s better than sitting around and not playing.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Picks up an assist in his first game for Sochi. Only played 16 minutes, but he's barely played any hockey in months, so it might take him some time to get up to full speed.

 

[MaxV]

Yeah, better situation. Hopefully he develops, certainly one of the better Russian D prospects.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Doing pretty well. Two games in a row now he's been over 20 minutes. I've watched a couple of games, and he's been Sochi's most solid defensemen along with Shchitov and Auvitu.

Rykov's puck moving is the real standout, if you watch him play enough. He's pretty good in most areas, but his passing accuracy is the best part of his game. Sometimes he's a little too relaxed with his passing in his own zone. Thats when he gets himself in trouble.