Pens fan here. Pavlychev was about as raw and off the board as a prospect can be when the Penguins drafted him in the 7th round in 2015. Despite being Russian he's mostly an American product (he's been in the States for a decade now, I believe) and plays a grinding role in front of the net. As you can imagine by this being an AHL deal I wouldn't be expecting him to be anything, but there's still that chance that he can take his game one step further and be a fringe 4th line guy. His hands never quite developed and he had a pretty lousy year on a stacked Penn State squad, but he's oozing those unteachable assets that great coaching may be able to mold into something useful.
Interesting that he didn't sign in Pittsburgh because he wanted a two-way deal and then immediately signs an AHL deal elsewhere (I do not think he's worth a contract slot, but on an AHL deal he's a solid scratch-off lottery ticket), but it's hard to argue against Syracuse's history of development making sense for a player in need of so much refinement. The Pens board has been mildly obsessed with Pavlychev despite knowing he was always a long-shot. He's easy to root for. Just don't expect too much. He cost us effectively nothing and he's costing yinz even less. Keep expectations in line and he'll be a fun one to follow. Just don't go expecting Brian Boyle. He's more like Steve McKenna in front of the net than Brian Boyle....which I can only assume is the reason the Penguins decided Kevin Stevens' kid (also a physical giant with mediocre college numbers but with supposed untapped potential that appears questionable at the age of 23) got a two-way deal that was never offered to Pavlychev. I want to complain about going after the scouts' son, but that's oddly worked out nicely for the Pens before (Ryan Malone's dad was the Pens top scout when he was drafted and Kevin Stevens
was the scout responsible for the Penguins going after John Marino so it's hard for me to be too mad).
I've never tracked a guy I can't imagine playing above an AHL 3rd line for so long before, but it's hard to not see
something to like about his game. There's a part of me that can see him becoming a monster in the AHL. Oddly enough Penn State getting so good so fast was probably the worst thing that could have happened to Pavlychev's development. He was trending upwards with his junior year being the first time he looked like a kid deserving of ever being drafted, but seemed to take a step back in his senior year before things shut down. I think a good tournament could been the difference between the Pens offering him a two-way contract and simply offering an AHL deal like they did.
Cheers, I can't say I hope he turns out as I wished with you guys, but I'm excited to see him go to a good organization that gives him a chance to further his development. I hope he makes it some day, even if only for a game. It's been fun following his development (this also tells you how little we've had to get excited about prospect-wise
) and you have to respect the guy doing what he thinks is best for his career (be it moving to the States as a damn child (I think he was 12) in order to play college hockey years down the line or signing the same contract with a different organization because they offer a slightly better chance at developing the weaker points of his game. He's a longshot, but he's put enough work in to be a reverse Rudy. The guy too big you can't help but root for.