RW Kirill Kabanov (2010, 65th, NYI; UFA) V
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ProspectsFanatic
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Jacob
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lol... I just looked up his latest team photo and I see what you mean. Sunken-in eyes, double-chin, neck tattoo- he does look unhealthy.
Acallabeth
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Peter25
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SI90
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So much wasted talent. He will never be an NHL regular IMO. Things will have to drastically change. I really thought he was going to be a good player for us.
this year esposito is playing in my hometown in italy...22 gp 0 goals 6 assists...scary to think is was a 1st rounder...
SLAPSHOT723
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Big McLargehuge
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The very fact that Esposito is still even playing shows a bit of heart considering any hope of salvaging even a journeyman career went out the window when he blew out his other knee, but I digress. Esposito may have been a terrible bust if he had health, but the fact remains that he blew out both knees at a young age...nobody is recovering from that.
Kirill Kabanov was an obvious risk and a home run attempt very worthy of taking at 65th overall (I mean was he really a worse pick than, say, Adam Janosik who went a few picks later?)...if the odds of him succeeding were higher he wouldn't have gone that late. It's still disappointing to see him unable to do anything at the AHL level. Honestly I'm surprised he's still even playing in North America.
Kirill Kabanov was an obvious risk and a home run attempt very worthy of taking at 65th overall (I mean was he really a worse pick than, say, Adam Janosik who went a few picks later?)...if the odds of him succeeding were higher he wouldn't have gone that late. It's still disappointing to see him unable to do anything at the AHL level. Honestly I'm surprised he's still even playing in North America.
Saw KK play this year and what I can tell you is he still lacks discipline on the ice. He took a completely useless penalty to kill momentum by interfering with the opposing team's winger right off an offensive zone draw. It was on the PP and he negated his team's PP chance to get back in the game. He had a few flashes offensively but I think there was one other very undisciplined play I can't seem to remember.
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Sidney the Kidney
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I think that's the problem. In hindsight, I don't think Kabanov had that much overall talent. He was a great stickhandler, but that's about it. His shot (in terms of both velocity and accuracy) wasn't very good, his hockey sense/IQ didn't seem very high, his skating was average, and his compete level was below where it needed to be.
For example, if a guy like Yakupov doesn't pan out, he'd be an example of "so much talent" going to waste. Because he's great in so many areas. Kabanov had some nice dangling ability, but nothing else ever stood out as elite.
People were just wowed with his ability to stickhandle, but being "so talented" involves being good at so many more aspects of hockey than just dangling. It's like if you took a checklist of attributes for a hockey player such as shooting, passing, stickhandling, positioning, work ethic, awareness, skating, physicality, etc., the only thing you could put a checkmark beside was stickhandling.
Dempsey
Mark it zero
I think it was somewhat obvious he wasn't going to amount to much when he never really dominated the QMJHL as an 18 and 19 year old. Well worth the risk of the 65th pick but I think to many people bought into the hype even after the fact he was putting up average at best junior numbers
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bottomofthefoodchain
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Sheros expletives
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Jester9881
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Toast.... he never even came close to dominating any single level he's played at. Gook luck to him in Europe, I don't see a future for him in the NHL though.
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