Prospect Info: Klim Kostin (31st overall in 2017) - Part II

[EXTRAS]

He seems to have progressed well in the last half of this season. Will be interesting to see how he does returning to NA next year.

 

[WeWentBlues]

He seems to have progressed well in the last half of this season. Will be interesting to see how he does returning to NA next year.

This year***

I could see him coming over after the KHL playoffs are over. Just depends on how quickly that might be. Looks like their playoff series is about to be tied 2-2, barring a comeback in Game 4.

 

[ezcreepin]

This year***

I could see him coming over after the KHL playoffs are over. Just depends on how quickly that might be. Looks like their playoff series is about to be tied 2-2, barring a comeback in Game 4.

Yea it really just depends on if he goes to the finals or not. Best case scenario (for Kostin's sake) is they win the next two games, the finals start on the 15th, and then they sweep to win the Gagarin cup. Assuming he packed quickly, he'd get here roughly around April 23rd, quarantines for 7 days, and then MAYBE plays in 2-3 of the final 6. Blues would have to win out as well and make it into the playoffs for his coming to NA to be worth it I'd think in that case. The other case is they lose the next 2 and he's here and quarantined till roughly the 22nd. It'll be really close

 

[LGB]

Kostin may want to play another year in the KHL. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing. We'll find out how ready he is soon.

 

[WeWentBlues]

Kostin may want to play another year in the KHL. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing. We'll find out how ready he is soon.

I was afraid that might happen

 

[Thallis]

I'd rather Kostin in the AHL where he can play on smaller ice.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

I think there won’t be a decision made until after our season ends. I’d assume if he looks the part, he’ll stay and be on the Blues next season.

 

[Blueston]

I'd rather Kostin in the AHL where he can play on smaller ice.

I doubt he wants to be there. If he can't make Blues he will likely head back to Russia.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Whatever spin is put out by agents, KHL interests or whoever, I can’t imagine Kostin is thinking about anything but making the Blues next year.

 

[Mike Liut]

I think he’s a lock to make the roster and a regular skater. I guarantee he’s better than Sanford, Blais, Mac and Clifford, and that’s not on knock on any of them because I like them all.

 

[ezcreepin]

Rutherford's pretty confident Kostin is NOT going to start a game in favor of Sanford. I'd be willing to bet 10 bitcoins he starts at least 1 game this year for Sanford, and I don't even really think it's a question. Why tf would they bring Kostin over if they didn't intend for him to play, and to add to that, why would they bring him over and have him start his first game of the year in the playoffs?? Sanford needs a hard reset and Kostin needs 1-2 games to get readjusted to the smaller ice and speed (even though he probably only gets to see 1 game).

 

[Xerloris]

How long does he need to quarantine and will there be any games left when it's over?

 

[Blueston]

How long does he need to quarantine and will there be any games left when it's over?

That is the real question. If we have regular season games left after he is eligible almost certain he will play.

 

[BlueMed]

I'd rather Kostin in the AHL where he can play on smaller ice.

Yeah but I think our AHL situation is not ideal. I'd rather have him keep developing his game with Bob Hartley, play top minutes, and compete against harder competition than the AHL.

 

[Frenzy31]

Of course they are talking about trying to get a loan for Kostin. Kovy just terminated his contract and Kostin was one of their best players in the playoffs. It would look terrible if they publically just said good bye, How do you sell that to fans? They have to sell tickets for next season also.

If you are the Blues why even consider it?

I fully expect Kostin to be in the line up for the last couple of games. No reason not to get him on the ice. Worst case scenario is that he pushes Blais, Sanford, and Clifford. He out performs them and he will get their spot.

competition is good for the team. Keeps everyone sharp. Means you can’t slack or go invisible for a spell of games. How much better would Sanford be if he had to bring top effort 2 out of 3 games. Kostin pushing both him and Blais would be great for all 3 players. Iron sharpens Iron.

 

[Brian39]

I'd be willing to bet 10 bitcoins he starts at least 1 game this year for Sanford

Half a million on Berube scratching Sanford would be an insanely reckless bet considering Kostin will have to quarantine until almost the end of the season. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Kostin plays over a good player we want to rest before playoffs since we will almost certainly be locked into the 4 seed before Kostin is eligible to play.

I don't have "f*** you" money to bet $500k on sports, but I'd bet against you if I did.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in a game after/if the Blues clinch a playoff spot.

Other than that, I’d think it best to not experiment with rookies at this point in time.

 

[Colt55]

I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in a game after/if the Blues clinch a playoff spot.

Other than that, I’d think it best to not experiment with rookies at this point in time.

I think that's the worst thinking possible. Kostin played a nhl game over there was one of thier best players. If you would rather play Clifford blais or where's Waldo ( sanford) over kostin then we should just not go to playoffs. You want your best players playing not the people you are comfortable with.

 

[Mike Liut]

Kostin could be a wild card in the playoffs. He’s going to play with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. I’d love to see him in there a couple games at the end of season to get his feet wet. I’m a huge Kostin fan.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I think that's the worst thinking possible. Kostin played a nhl game over there was one of thier best players. If you would rather play Clifford blais or where's Waldo ( sanford) over kostin then we should just not go to playoffs. You want your best players playing not the people you are comfortable with.

Players don’t play in isolation. Your comment ignores the challenge of a player coming, functioning in a high trust system and meshing with linemates. If one guy is not sure of his role, the unit fails. Haven’t we seen enough of that the past couple years? Kostin may prove to be the better player, but he needs time and familiarity to be able to function on the Blues. It’s one of the reasons trade deadline rentals so rarely make an impact.

 

[Brian39]

I think that's the worst thinking possible. Kostin played a nhl game over there was one of thier best players. If you would rather play Clifford blais or where's Waldo ( sanford) over kostin then we should just not go to playoffs. You want your best players playing not the people you are comfortable with.

The bolded is just ludicrous hyperbole.

But let's talk about Kostin's year. He was 11th on his team in regular season scoring (both goals and points). He had 7 goals in the KHL regular season (43 games). Sanford has 9 NHL goals in 46 games and Blais has 8 NHL goals in 35 games. Kostin was in a 3 way tie for 5th on his team in playoff points and a 3 way tie for 3rd on his team in playoff goals (5). His KHL coach (Bob Hartley) speaks very highly of him and absolutely leaned on him more down the stretch this year. He played 16 minutes a night through the playoffs. I think it is a giant stretch to act like he was a top-end player in the KHL this year. None of this is meant to diminish Kostin. Getting coached by a North American ex-NHL coach in the KHL and being a contributor to a championship team there is the best-case scenario for his development and it is hard to remember that he is still very young (turns 22 tomorrow).

But it is just ludicrous hyperbole to say with any certainty that he is a better NHL player right now than Blais/Sanford or that he is better by such a margin that inserting him into the lineup is an obvious upgrade. Sanford's career NHL playoff stats are slightly better than Kostin's KHL playoff stats and for all of his awful defensive decisions this year Sanford is capable of being one of the better possession players we have. Blais' career NHL playoff stats are slightly worse than Kostin's KHL playoff stats and Blais has been a more effective physical player in North America than Kostin ever has. Hartley suggests that Kostin has taken leaps in physicality, but both of us would be lying if we said we knew who the better physical player was right now between Blais and Kostin.

This isn't Kaprisov coming over with proof of concept that he was one of the best players outside the NHL. This is a 22 year old who couldn't crack an NHL lineup last year and was a secondary piece on a damn good KHL team. There are absolutely valid concerns about integrating him into a new system during the 1st round of the playoffs. He has to quarantine and the last player to join his NHL club after his KHL season had to do a 10 day quarantine back in mid-March. I'd expect that the quarantine won't be as lengthy, but even just a 5 day quarantine means that his first appearance at the Blues facility will be the morning of our 3rd to last game (which takes place in LA). We play those last 3 games in 4 days and we will likely play a playoff game just a couple days later. So absolute best case scenario gets him in to 3 full practices before Game 1 of the playoffs.

I'm of the mindset that he should be an option in the playoffs if he proves to belong in those last couple games of the regular season. But let's not act like the team shouldn't bother showing up for playoffs if he's just an extra.

 

[Blueston]

The bolded is just ludicrous hyperbole.

But let's talk about Kostin's year. He was 11th on his team in regular season scoring (both goals and points). He had 7 goals in the KHL regular season (43 games). Sanford has 9 NHL goals in 46 games and Blais has 8 NHL goals in 35 games. Kostin was in a 3 way tie for 5th on his team in playoff points and a 3 way tie for 3rd on his team in playoff goals (5). His KHL coach (Bob Hartley) speaks very highly of him and absolutely leaned on him more down the stretch this year. He played 16 minutes a night through the playoffs. I think it is a giant stretch to act like he was a top-end player in the KHL this year. None of this is meant to diminish Kostin. Getting coached by a North American ex-NHL coach in the KHL and being a contributor to a championship team there is the best-case scenario for his development and it is hard to remember that he is still very young (turns 22 tomorrow).

But it is just ludicrous hyperbole to say with any certainty that he is a better NHL player right now than Blais/Sanford or that he is better by such a margin that inserting him into the lineup is an obvious upgrade. Sanford's career NHL playoff stats are slightly better than Kostin's KHL playoff stats and for all of his awful defensive decisions this year Sanford is capable of being one of the better possession players we have. Blais' career NHL playoff stats are slightly worse than Kostin's KHL playoff stats and Blais has been a more effective physical player in North America than Kostin ever has. Hartley suggests that Kostin has taken leaps in physicality, but both of us would be lying if we said we knew who the better physical player was right now between Blais and Kostin.

This isn't Kaprisov coming over with proof of concept that he was one of the best players outside the NHL. This is a 22 year old who couldn't crack an NHL lineup last year and was a secondary piece on a damn good KHL team. There are absolutely valid concerns about integrating him into a new system during the 1st round of the playoffs. He has to quarantine and the last player to join his NHL club after his KHL season had to do a 10 day quarantine back in mid-March. I'd expect that the quarantine won't be as lengthy, but even just a 5 day quarantine means that his first appearance at the Blues facility will be the morning of our 3rd to last game (which takes place in LA). We play those last 3 games in 4 days and we will likely play a playoff game just a couple days later. So absolute best case scenario gets him in to 3 full practices before Game 1 of the playoffs.

I'm of the mindset that he should be an option in the playoffs if he proves to belong in those last couple games of the regular season. But let's not act like the team shouldn't bother showing up for playoffs if he's just an extra.

Would like to see him get in couple of regular season games to get him up to speed and then see where he is at. Whether he is better option than Blais or Sanford or Clifford is uncertain and a few games would help determine.

 

[Brian39]

Would like to see him get in couple of regular season games to get him up to speed and then see where he is at. Whether he is better option than Blais or Sanford or Clifford is uncertain and a few games would help determine.

Really hoping he doesn't have to do a full 10 day quarantine. Given the uptick in vaccine availability/distribution in the NHL compared to 6 weeks ago, a 5-7 day quarantine with daily negative tests seems sufficient. It is a bit odd that we haven't gotten a public number from the NHL, so I'm guessing the Blues are lobbying behind the scenes to get the number down. A 7 day quarantine would allow him to play in those (likely) meaningless games vs Minnesota, but a 10 day quarantine keeps him out of our facilities until the regular season has concluded.

 

[Colt55]

The bolded is just ludicrous hyperbole.

But let's talk about Kostin's year. He was 11th on his team in regular season scoring (both goals and points). He had 7 goals in the KHL regular season (43 games). Sanford has 9 NHL goals in 46 games and Blais has 8 NHL goals in 35 games. Kostin was in a 3 way tie for 5th on his team in playoff points and a 3 way tie for 3rd on his team in playoff goals (5). His KHL coach (Bob Hartley) speaks very highly of him and absolutely leaned on him more down the stretch this year. He played 16 minutes a night through the playoffs. I think it is a giant stretch to act like he was a top-end player in the KHL this year. None of this is meant to diminish Kostin. Getting coached by a North American ex-NHL coach in the KHL and being a contributor to a championship team there is the best-case scenario for his development and it is hard to remember that he is still very young (turns 22 tomorrow).

But it is just ludicrous hyperbole to say with any certainty that he is a better NHL player right now than Blais/Sanford or that he is better by such a margin that inserting him into the lineup is an obvious upgrade. Sanford's career NHL playoff stats are slightly better than Kostin's KHL playoff stats and for all of his awful defensive decisions this year Sanford is capable of being one of the better possession players we have. Blais' career NHL playoff stats are slightly worse than Kostin's KHL playoff stats and Blais has been a more effective physical player in North America than Kostin ever has. Hartley suggests that Kostin has taken leaps in physicality, but both of us would be lying if we said we knew who the better physical player was right now between Blais and Kostin.

This isn't Kaprisov coming over with proof of concept that he was one of the best players outside the NHL. This is a 22 year old who couldn't crack an NHL lineup last year and was a secondary piece on a damn good KHL team. There are absolutely valid concerns about integrating him into a new system during the 1st round of the playoffs. He has to quarantine and the last player to join his NHL club after his KHL season had to do a 10 day quarantine back in mid-March. I'd expect that the quarantine won't be as lengthy, but even just a 5 day quarantine means that his first appearance at the Blues facility will be the morning of our 3rd to last game (which takes place in LA). We play those last 3 games in 4 days and we will likely play a playoff game just a couple days later. So absolute best case scenario gets him in to 3 full practices before Game 1 of the playoffs.

I'm of the mindset that he should be an option in the playoffs if he proves to belong in those last couple games of the regular season. But let's not act like the team shouldn't bother showing up for playoffs if he's just an extra.

First and foremost I don't expect him to be kaprizov. It's not like picked high scoring players on this team. I picked blais, Sanford, and Clifford. Kostins style is what this team needs great skating mixed with speed and a skilled hand. He was described as one of the top 3 players in the final series. I get it you wanna be cynical. No problem but if we are just going to stick with those three guys over kostin and what he has shown then I don't know what to tell you.

 

[Colt55]

Players don’t play in isolation. Your comment ignores the challenge of a player coming, functioning in a high trust system and meshing with linemates. If one guy is not sure of his role, the unit fails. Haven’t we seen enough of that the past couple years? Kostin may prove to be the better player, but he needs time and familiarity to be able to function on the Blues. It’s one of the reasons trade deadline rentals so rarely make an impact.

He will get that starting hopefully Wednesday or this weekend. If he gels and plays great will you say hey man ypu were right. Cause if he doesn't play I will say yeah man I was wrong.