Speculation: Your post combine pick at 5th OV.

[salbutera]

Stats guy right? I imagine he would have Benson quite high. He's damn near an analytical anomaly. Oliver Moore would be in the mix as well.

Yes, but Boucher uses eye test combined w analytics for final analysis.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Holy smokes this assessment of Michkov:

For a player that has been hyped as long as he has, Michkov is still raw. He won’t be ready to play in the NHL any time soon. You also won’t see an ounce of defensive play out of him. He cheats past the blueline. If the puck isn’t on his stick, he’s not doing anything to help the team. Initially he looked reinvigorated from his move to Sochi, but after coming out the gate with more motivation he mostly reverted back to his usual self. Poor body language, worthless off the puck, prone to becoming a pylon, subpar playmaking, trouble with winning board battles, trying to take four guys head on at once and losing. He also doesn’t have the speed to create lots of separation in transition. It’s a long list of things that make Michkov an annoying player to watch. NHL coaches will find him difficult to work with. After being labeled a “generational prospect” too early, Michkov just hasn’t taken the necessary jumps in his development. Still, there’s potential for upside if you’re patient with his timeline. If he can bulk up and play in the paint at the NHL level, he may be able to develop into a high end version of Brendan Gallagher.

Guy had him at 8th. Maybe thats how some GM's see him as well.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Holy smokes this assessment of Michkov:



Guy had him at 8th. Maybe thats how some GM's see him as well.

Hard to take someone seriously when they’re taking a high end Brendan Gallagher 8th overall in this draft. I mean try and be consistent.

Would you rather have a 100% chance of Clayton Keller or a 75% chance of Kirill Kaprizov with a 25% chance of nothing. Is how I think the scouts look at it. And truthfully phrased that way, nothing wrong with guaranteeing an 80 point player to your roster with the risk of losing out on a 110 point player.

Those prospects are just as likely to bust or injure themselves as Michkov.

 

[Belial]

Holy smokes this assessment of Michkov:



Guy had him at 8th. Maybe thats how some GM's see him as well.

He's clearly dropping not just cuz of his contract. A lot of red flags with him.

 

[ReHabs]

Would you rather have a 100% chance of Clayton Keller or a 75% chance of Kirill Kaprizov with a 25% chance of nothing. Is how I think the scouts look at it. And truthfully phrased that way, nothing wrong with guaranteeing an 80 point player to your roster with the risk of losing out on a 110 point player.

I'd take the Clayton Keller but none of the alternatives to Michkov are tracking toward being Keller, much less being 100% certain to be Keller.

Clayton Keller was a very skilled player as a prospect and remains a very skilled player in the NHL. Will Smith or Benson, maybe, but as prospects Leonard and Reinbacher and Dvorsky fall short of (what we now know about) Keller.

Holy smokes this assessment of Michkov:

This is the kind of assessment written by someone who shouldn't write assessments. @Estimated_Prophet talks about them often. Where is it from?

 

[Belial]

This is the kind of assessment written by someone who shouldn't write assessments. @Estimated_Prophet talks about them often. Where is it from?

Did you watch full games of Michkov?

 

[Scintillating10]

The reality of the matter remains, John Tavares is the only 1st line talent to ever sign as UFA or waive trade clause to join a CDN team in the cap era.

Florida and Vegas in Cup Finals. Both have Cap advantages. Does Tkachuk go there if he's taxed like in Quebec? Of course not. Florida would finished in bottom half of league this year without Tkachuk. We would have their lottery pick and Zito would look like a doucebag. Now, everybody thinks he is hockey genius

 

[CanadienShark]

I'd prefer we trade down if Michkov is a non-option and Smith is gone. But with those guys I'd order them Smith, Leonard, Benson, Dvorsky, Wood, Reinbacher.

Curious, why Leonard over Benson? Asking because I'm not super up to date on prospects this year and I know Benson was talked about a lot on the Sharks board a few months back. He got Marner comparisons.

 

[Belial]

Curious, why Leonard over Benson? Asking because I'm not super up to date on prospects this year and I know Benson was talked about a lot on the Sharks board a few months back. He got Marner comparisons.

Cuz Benson will not be able to enter head between his legs in the offensive zone in the NHL!

 

[habsfan891]

Is it really copium though?


A. Would you rather try to date a supermodel celebrity and *think* she would reciprocate so you end up sad/mad/confused/etc in the end when she doesn't reciprocate at all and/or gets a restraining order against you?

OR

B. Would you rather be realistic with yourself and pick someone in your league, who is maybe not as attractive but is more down to earth, great personality, and who you at least have a chance with?

In all seriousness option a

 

[ReHabs]

Florida and Vegas in Cup Finals. Both have Cap advantages. Does Tkachuk go there if he's taxed like in Quebec? Of course not. Florida would finished in bottom half of league this year without Tkachuk. We would have their lottery pick and Zito would look like a doucebag. Now, everybody thinks he is hockey genius

Flordia without Tkachuk won the President's Trophy the season prior. They have a good team and good prospect development.

 

[Belial]

Flordia without Tkachuk won the President's Trophy the season prior. They have a good team and good prospect development.

Are you sure about that? Gudbranson at #3 and Ekblad first overall don't seem like an amazing scouting team...

 

[Frank Drebin]

I'd take the Clayton Keller but none of the alternatives to Michkov are tracking toward being Keller, much less being 100% certain to be Keller.

Clayton Keller was a very skilled player as a prospect and remains a very skilled player in the NHL. Will Smith or Benson, maybe, but as prospects Leonard and Reinbacher and Dvorsky fall short of (what we now know about) Keller.


This is the kind of assessment written by someone who shouldn't write assessments. @Estimated_Prophet talks about them often. Where is it from?

The prospects board. Kevin Musto?

Kevin Musto's 2023 NHL Draft Ranking

PROSPECT RANKING WRITE-UP 1. C Connor Bedard Regina Pats, WHL [5’10”. 185lbs. Born on July 17, 2005.] There’s nothing I can say about Bedard that hasn’t been said already. He’s a generational prospect, the best we’ve seen in years. He can fire a shot off from anywhere on the ice, on...

forums.hfboards.com

 

[ReHabs]

The prospects board. Kevin Musto?

Kevin Musto's 2023 NHL Draft Ranking

PROSPECT RANKING WRITE-UP 1. C Connor Bedard Regina Pats, WHL [5’10”. 185lbs. Born on July 17, 2005.] There’s nothing I can say about Bedard that hasn’t been said already. He’s a generational prospect, the best we’ve seen in years. He can fire a shot off from anywhere on the ice, on...

forums.hfboards.com

Who’s Kevin Musto meant to be?

I read Kevin’s write-up of the top10. Do you feel his rubric is consistent between prospects and his text accurate?

 

[The Great Weal]

I will start by saying that my pick is Michkov and I'm not buying the "serious criticism to his game" comments that have come out lately. Assuming Borbov gets the intel that there is zero chance that Michkov ever comes over, here are my thoughts:

For most of the year, Smith has been a tier above the rest of these guys. I thought he had a very good U18 and shut down some criticism but seems that all of a sudden there is more criticism.

Benson: I feel like he's overlooked as our pick. We want compete? This guy has a lot of compete and has a very skilled game to mesh with it (could make a case that it's a better combo of these two attributes than anyone else on this list). Of course injury concerns, size, and lack of high end skating is likely why many overlook him, but this guy is a gamer. I liked the Zuccarello comparison.

Dvorsky: I like the player but I really question the offensive ability to become a top line player. Great shot and seems like one of the players that can genuinely become a center in the NHL comfortably, but I don't really think he's a need nor BPA.

Leonard: Guy is a beauty, does everything good to very good. I'd be all over him if we had more high end guys up front to compliment him but man the way he plays the game just seems so contagious and it's not a 3rd line grinder, he's got some actual skill to back it up. Doubt he's ever going to be someone that leads the offense on a top 6 line, but a high end complimentary player nonetheless.

Reinbacher: He gets compared to Jiricek but I prefer Jiricek by quite a bit if I'm being honest. Nevertheless, still think Reinbacher is a smart player that will play 25 min in the NHL and produce 30-40 points.

Smith: Yes his lack of motor and the way he plays the game may not be translateable to the NHL. That being said, the creativity and IQ is what we need to be looking at and I do believe he is a smart enough player to adjust his game while still being this super skilled and creative player up front.

Wood: For all the times we have tried to big brain our draft pick, this is the one where I'd be happy with. Besides the skating (which needs a lot of work), he pretty much does it all in a 6'4 frame. I believe he's got upside as much as anyone not named Bedard/Michkov in this draft, it's just the skating that is the issue. If we are confident that we can get his skating to just "subpar" at the NHL level, I firmly believe he's got the potential to score 70ish points while being very difficult to defend.

Overall, I still think Smith is the pick. Assuming Sharks take him and we know Michkov is never coming over, besides Dvorsky I really like all these guys but haven't finalized my list yet although believe they are in the same tier. You can make an argument for any of them really.

 

[waffledave]

Holy smokes this assessment of Michkov:



Guy had him at 8th. Maybe thats how some GM's see him as well.

This is why you can't just watch highlight videos of the same 10 highlights, some of which are from 2 years ago, and proclaim that guy to be a generational player, unforgivable to pass on.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

Reinbacher

 

[The Great Weal]

This is why you can't just watch highlight videos of the same 10 highlights, some of which are from 2 years ago, and proclaim that guy to be a generational player, unforgivable to pass on.

I mean his KHL production is also unprecedented for someone in their draft year. It's not like people are strictly going based on the past like Wright.

 

[ReHabs]

This is why you can't just watch highlight videos of the same 10 highlights, some of which are from 2 years ago, and proclaim that guy to be a generational player, unforgivable to pass on.

You could make the same wildly untethered claims against any skill player tbh. I find Musto’s write up to be imprecise. I bet you many would agree.

Apples to apples comparisons are welcome. What does he do right, what does he do not right, how much is each of these things worth? Michkov does not play a perfect game, neither does Patrick Kane… or Cole Caufield for that matter.

 

[waffledave]

I mean his KHL production is also unprecedented for someone in their draft year. It's not like people are strictly going based on the past like Wright.

Ultimately it comes down to whether or not that kind of production is translatable. Slafkovsky also put up unprecedented numbers against KHL-level opposition in international tournaments and clearly it didn't end up being so simple.

You could make the same wildly untethered claims against any skill player tbh. I find Musto’s write up to be imprecise. I bet you many would agree.

Apples to apples comparisons are welcome. What does he do right, what does he do not right, how much is each of these things worth? Michkov does not play a perfect game, neither does Patrick Kane… or Cole Caufield for that matter.

I am not so much commenting on the accuracy of the write-up. I find that people are making incredibly dramatic and ridiculous claims about how it would be unforgivable to pass on a guaranteed superstar 110 point generational player in Michkov. I know that the majority of these people haven't watched him play a full game in 2023 (and neither have I, might I add), so these dramatics are really not needed. The take away from the conversation, IMO.

The criticisms that you see in that write-up, true or not, are the kinds of things nobody talks about because you will never see it in a highlights video. Yet, if they are true, they are ABSOLUTELY reasons why would pass on such a player. Especially if you have no say or control over his development for the next few years.

So before we continue with these dramatics with page after page about how we cannot pass on the next Guy Lafleur Gretzky or else our children will grow up hating hockey, let's just keep in mind that there is a lot we don't know about this guy that NHL scouts (hopefully) do.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

Holy smokes this assessment of Michkov:



Guy had him at 8th. Maybe thats how some GM's see him as well.

A guy who's worthless off the puck, bad defensively, prone to becoming a pylon and terrible in board battles will become a high end Gallagher?

I don't think Kevin Musto has seen him play a game in his life, because his own assessment and then projection of him is entirely conflicting.

That's like saying "Fantilli just tries to bully the game, uses his fast skating and shot to try to score no matter what, is bad defensively and only plays at his highest gear - projection is a better Datsyuk"

 

[badfish]

Holy smokes this assessment of Michkov:



Guy had him at 8th. Maybe thats how some GM's see him as well.

Well, that is a weird player comparison and not one I have saw before, or particularly agree with lol

 

[Kennerback]

Holy smokes this assessment of Michkov:



Guy had him at 8th. Maybe thats how some GM's see him as well.

You need to consider the source: a random poster on this board.
You also need to look at the rest of his list…
For example this is his 4thBPA:

4. RW Andrew Cristall

Kelowna Rockets, WHL [5’10”. 175lbs. Born on February 4, 2005.] Makes great use of deception and fake outs to throw off the opposition. High compete level, willing to throw hits even though he’s on the smaller side. Sees the ice well, has a knack for finding passing lanes, and can wire accurate no-look feeds. He possesses that special sixth sense where he always knows where the puck is going to be. Needs to beef up and become harder to knock off the puck, but that’s an easy fix, and at this point it’s just nitpicking. Cristall’s upside is sky-high, and there will be many that will doubt his ability to reach it, but I’m a believer.

Originality is fine but this guy takes it to a whole new level. Read the comments to see what the reception is to his list.

 

[NORiculous]

Holy smokes this assessment of Michkov:



Guy had him at 8th. Maybe thats how some GM's see him as well.

Don’t know who wrote that but it’s sounds like bs. Source?

Subpar playmaking? Gfoomff.

Comparing him to a high end Gallagher is completely out of left field. If that is what he sees, no wonder the rest is completely distorted. They have nothing in common accept that they are almost the same height…

Also, yes Michkov liked to cheat but kids need to focus on offence anyway. His cheating mostly vanished from his game in Sochi, a level where coaching becomes more important.

All we need to know is that he isn’t full of himself and that he willing to work.

 

[badfish]

An interesting article in the Athletic today with more quotes from scouts and executives. Here's a few points and quotes cherrypicked as it relates to the Habs pick:

On the question of who should go second overall, the answers are Carlsson (3), Fantilli (2), Smith (1) and Michkov (1).

A quote on Michkov:

Executive 8: “Once Bedard, Fantilli, Smith, Carlsson go is when I start to think about it. Dvorsky versus Michkov, Reinbacher versus Michkov, that would be a real debate in our room. Once you get past guys like that it starts to get a bit ridiculous though. You can have real reservations about picking him for legit reasons, but he’s generational at the hardest thing to do: scoring goals.”

A quote on Leonard, about who is the 2nd best player in USNTDP:

Executive 2: “Your question has the presumption Smith is the No. 1 guy, but there are several people on our staff who would take Leonard over Smith.”

On who is the 2nd best player in the WHL:

Scout 2: “Danielson has an easy path to being a top two-line NHL center. He skates very well, he’s smart, he competes, he has NHL size. People are sleeping on him.”

On who the best defenseman is:

Scout 3: “Simashev should be the first defenseman picked on pure ability. He has top pair tools. Will someone actually do it, especially with how good Reinbacher looked? I’m guessing unlikely.”

On goalies:

Scout 3: “It’s tough. Augustine has the numbers, but not the NHL skill set. Gajan didn’t play in a good league. Hrabal was up and down, same with Bjarnason. They’re all good, could all go in the second round, but I don’t think anyone separated from the pack.”

On But and Simashev:

Executive 5: “If But was playing in the CHL he would be a top 5 pick, Simashev close to top 10.”

There is a lot more in this article I wont cover, lots of great quotes. There must be over 100 quotes in total. I have a couple of free passes I can give out for the Athletic, so if someone is interested just DM me.