I think it’ll probably go down as a bad pick too, but I don’t remember many Leafs fans wanting Kyrou, Hart or Girard at the time. People mostly wanted DeBrincat (would have been great) or Benson (no better than Korshkov).
Also, we got Grundstrom later in the same round, who’s looking good. Some picks hit, most don’t, missing on Korshkov (which I do think is likely) isn’t a big deal.
Kyrou is definitely a guy that while he went where he should have, has dramatically elevated his stock.
But Girard, Hart and Debrincat were all guys who we had people here on record saying they wanted (I was most after Carter Hart; he's the exact level of goalie prospect that should be ready to push once Andersen's deal expires).
You can't win them all but there's a few other names out there.
Jesper Bratt just had his rookie season, it started much better than it ended but he's a regular now and was picked in the fifth round or something.
Taylor Raddysh is a big bodied right winger but we've already got too many of those.
A bit undersized for a center but Rasmus Asplund seems to be generating talk among the Sabres loyal. Jonathan Dahlen as well for the Nux.
Fil Hronek is a slick right shooting D in the Wings system.
Cliff Pu has been the butt of many a joke but he has game.
Victor Mete, again, slick but small young D.
This was a deep draft with numerous guys with high end potential just sitting there for us to take, instead we gambled on Korshkov and only time will tell.
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I would take all of these fools (and of course the aforementioned Kyrou, Hart, Debrincat and Girard) over Korshkov.
Not that he's by any means bad...but I do remember the big sell on him being that as a double overager 'he will be ready sooner'.
The KHL, in spite of some publicity issues from time to time (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl being no good, very very bad) while it will never come close to the NHL, is ever increasing its appeal among Russian players.
Zaitsev came over at 24 and signed his deal which came with heavy term at 25. Panarin did the same and he will get absolutely paid.
Suppose Korshkov does two more years, which burns most of his ELC and then comes over and needs a new deal for after one season with term or he bolts? We'll be paying over 35 million for the kids + Tavares at that point, while Kadri, Rielly and Andersen have new deals looming (6.5, 7.5 and 6.5 if things keep the way they have been for them).
He's probably about our fourth best wing prospect (behind Grundstrom, Bracco and SDA). On the big team Marner, Nylander, Marleau, Hyman, Brown, Kapanen and Johnsson, possibly Leivo. Marleau retires in two years, and its possible one of Brown/Hyman/Kapanen/Johnsson goes in a trade maybe. He's gotta be better than five of those guys and the three prospects ahead of him to even make the team.
If he was pick 44 or something, and not the first pick of the f***ing round, I could live with it. I don't see the next Kuznetsov or Panarin here.
There's always a chance Korshkov comes over in three years and becomes a reliable 35-45 point tweener winger. There is a small chance he could be something more, but damn...if we took Debrincat, who yes is yet another small winger but is something we lack; a pure shooter on the wing, we could have traded him for Matt Dumba by now, and that is where my consternation lies with the pick.
A bad pick - not necessarily a bad player, but until he's here, if he ever is, I stand by that hot take.