Kessel v Kovulchuk (in their respective draft years)

[WADEugottaBELAKthat]

Does Kessel have the potential to match the early exploits of Ilya Kovulchuk?

Click to read more...

 

[mercury]

Potential, yes. Will he do it? Probably not, but he certainly could.

 

[AnThGrt]

Potential, yes. Will he do it? Probably not, but he certainly could.

Well said

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Does Kessel have the potential to match the early exploits of Ilya Kovulchuk?

A few things would have to happen for that to be the case:

1) Kessel will have to get quite a bit stronger than he is now.

2) He'll have to leave Minnesota early.

3) He'll have to be in an organization that optimally utilizes his offensive ability.

Frankly, I don't see it. Kovalchuk had a man's body at a very young age and that more than anything (IMO) helped him acclimate to the NHL very quickly and become a success. Kessel has a differant build and will probably need more time to be a success.

 

[Epsilon]

Kovalchuk is, in my view, the premiere young star of this era. Kessel will be very good but compares more to Zherdev than Kovalchuk.

 

[CSKA]

Kovalchuk is, in my view, the premiere young star of this era. Kessel will be very good but compares more to Zherdev than Kovalchuk.

Thats what im talking about !
Everybody here talks about Crosby , Ovechkin , Frolik as the next big thing .......... dont forget about Kovalchuk ! I know he must learn some things but he IS the total package and hes skillz are just above others ! He will dominate the NHL very soon , i mean he will dominate alone IMO !

 

[pucks1]

Thats what im talking about !
Everybody here talks about Crosby , Ovechkin , Frolik as the next big thing .......... dont forget about Kovalchuk ! I know he must learn some things but he IS the total package and hes skillz are just above others ! He will dominate the NHL very soon , i mean he will dominate alone IMO !

Good point, i would snag Kovulchuk over any prospects hands down. He is(in my eyes) the most intertaining player in the game today, a one man show!

 

[usiel]

Kovalchuk is awesome...and this coming from a Caps fan who seen almost every game the caps have played against them. One shouldn't even try and compare the youngsters to him atm. He's made...isn't he an all-star already?

 

[ryz]

Kovalchuk is, in my view, the premiere young star of this era. Kessel will be very good but compares more to Zherdev than Kovalchuk.

That's a good way to put it. Kessel has the skills to be damn good, but he's gonna have to add about 20lbs of pure muscle to be able to handle himself the way Kovalchuk does. I wasn't a big Kovalchuk fan when he entered the league but I have grown to be very impressed with his development.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Kovalchuk is awesome...and this coming from a Caps fan who seen almost every game the caps have played against them. One shouldn't even try and compare the youngsters to him atm. He's made...isn't he an all-star already?

I would say hes an all-star....he has all the offensive tools to be a 50 goal scorer within the next couple seasons.

 

[CornKicker]

as an oilers fan I hated kovalchuk because he pulled comries hair but now I hate comrie and love to watch kovalchuk. He is so fast and smooth and he can undress d-men at full speed. Lots of players have awesome hands (kovalev) but not many can use them at full speed. As for kessels point totals i would say they would be over 100pts a year if he played with Kovalchuk

 

[Remax]

What about Heatly? IMO he is better than Kovulchuk, he might not have the same speed or raw puck skills but he sure can put the puck in the net and he plays with a lot more grit that Ilya

 

[NYR469]

biggest glaring difference between kessel and kovalchuk is size...kessel is alot smaller and kovalchuk's size and strength was a big reason he was able to make an impact so quickly. kessel might need a little more time to fill out a bit.

 

[Vincent_TheGreat]

Yeah theres always a chance, but he isn't near Kovalchuk, fat chance! I mean he's very good but simply not that good.

 

[burner10115]

Yeah theres always a chance, but he isn't near Kovalchuk, fat chance! I mean he's very good but simply not that good.

i'LL TAKe Kovalchuk ovr Kessel. Kovalchulk is alot like Bure in 90's from what i've seen, and he's the most entertaining player in the league. Being a NYR fan, losing would be alot easier watching Kovalchuk score 50+, but He'd nevr be on a losing/rebuild team and wate his yrs. here.

 

[The Vengabus]

What about Heatly? IMO he is better than Kovulchuk, he might not have the same speed or raw puck skills but he sure can put the puck in the net and he plays with a lot more grit that Ilya

Um. No. Would that be because hes a good Canadian kid while the others a Russian? Kovalchuk isnt afraid to throw the big hits. He'd do anything for the goal.

 

[nomorekids]

Let's put it this way. I don't think Crosby will ever be as dangerous as Kovalchuk is right now. You can go on about all-around game, you can say that Crosby will be the more complete-player...but I'll take Kovalchuk every time.

That said...I don't think Kessel is anywhere near Kovalchuk...and I'm a HUGE Kessel fan.