Your Thought On Kostitsyn

[bruins4777*]

Lehtonen wasnt drafted that year.

Ah i see, i wasn't aware he ment people in the draft year....

 

[orcatown]

Agree with West - he was drafted way too high. Like many Russian, or near Russian players, comes with baggage. I don't know why Montreal took a flyer on this guy when there were so many solid picks avialable. There is no way he is comparable right now to picks like Parise, Fehr, Kesler or Bergeron. Time will tell but right now he looks iffy as a top end prospect.

 

[Habitantpeasoup]

Agree with West - he was drafted way too high. Like many Russian, or near Russian players, comes with baggage. I don't know why Montreal took a flyer on this guy when there were so many solid picks avialable. There is no way he is comparable right now to picks like Parise, Fehr, Kesler or Bergeron. Time will tell but right now he looks iffy as a top end prospect.

IMO he is easily top 10 material & pure skill wise top 3. Putting parise, Fehr & Kesler
ahead of him is joke IMO.

 

[markov`]

IMO he is easily top 10 material & pure skill wise top 3. Putting parise, Fehr & Kesler
ahead of him is joke IMO.

That's right.

Potential wise, Kostitsyn is better than any of these prospects. That's why he was picked that high. He could end up being the best of the bunch or simply nothing.

 

[KILLger]

There were talks that Kostitsyn was among the best pure talent from scouting services but he was a reach... sure...

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

When you say, he needs to have a better understanding of what goes on, on the ice, wouldn't you say that would come with time,

Certainly! It could come with time. Most prospects need to work out kinks. Many certainly improve different areas. Others don't.

I won't get into all the adjustements he's had to make since he's arrived in NA, but don't you think you, and alot of posters, are a bit too hard on him?

That depends what you think is too hard. If you think mentioning a fault is too hard, maybe. All a prospect is is a young player which you try to assess as a future NHLer. I'm just trying to be realistic in what I see in his potential and abilities as of now.

I'm sure the Habs see some faults in him and they make him work hard. He's very talented and if he does work and improve, he'll be a great player. I don't think it's unfair to list faults anymore than listing qualities.

If he didn't have the faults he has, he would be a lot higher than some players I put above him. And if the players below him didn't have any faults, maybe they would be higher than him

It's really no big deal, IMO.

 

[417]

Certainly! It could come with time. Most prospects need to work out kinks. Many certainly improve different areas. Others don't.



That depends what you think is too hard. If you think mentioning a fault is too hard, maybe. All a prospect is is a young player which you try to assess as a future NHLer. I'm just trying to be realistic in what I see in his potential and abilities as of now.

I'm sure the Habs see some faults in him and they make him work hard. He's very talented and if he does work and improve, he'll be a great player. I don't think it's unfair to list faults anymore than listing qualities.

If he didn't have the faults he has, he would be a lot higher than some players I put above him. And if the players below him didn't have any faults, maybe they would be higher than him

It's really no big deal, IMO.

I see what you mean, it's just that I find some quotes from certain posters here (not you necessarily) funny, people say he was a reach, well just about every expert thought he along with Zherdev were the best pure talents in the draft, how is that reaching from the Habs point of view? Does that mean Zherdev was a reach? sure Zherdev has proven his worth at the NHL level, but he's also had the opportunity to prove himself since he was in the RSL, this is Kostitsyn 1st real chance to play big minutes on a competitive team, and he's shown flashes of brilliance and has done nothing to show that he didin't warrant the 10th overall pick, he's shown that he's among the best from the players in his age bracket with his performance at the WJHC's, his 5th appearance BTW, and now in the AHL he's putting up decent #'s for a 19yr old rookie who dosen't understand a word of english, I think people are way to quick to write him off when he's done nothing to warrant such classification...I swear if Kostitsyn wasn't a Habs pick, he'd be alot more hyped up around here, there's no doubt about that

 

[Til the End of Time]

I swear if Kostitsyn wasn't a Habs pick, he'd be alot more hyped up around here, there's no doubt about that

Do you ever stop whining about people hating the Habs? Seriously, it seems like every thread I read that in any way pertains to Montreal also has your complaining that everyone has a bias against them.

It's getting old.

 

[417]

Do you ever stop whining about people hating the Habs? Seriously, it seems like every thread I read that in any way pertains to Montreal also has your complaining that everyone has a bias against them.

It's getting old.

Well the hating is getting old too, so once it stops, so will I...I don't care if it sounds like i'm whining, because it's true, I am whining, but so what, it's gotten ridiculous, and if you find me annoying, imagine how I feel whenever I read stupid comments from posters that are just made out of pure hate

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

I see what you mean, it's just that I find some quotes from certain posters here (not you necessarily) funny, people say he was a reach, well just about every expert thought he along with Zherdev were the best pure talents in the draft, how is that reaching from the Habs point of view? Does that mean Zherdev was a reach? sure Zherdev has proven his worth at the NHL level, but he's also had the opportunity to prove himself since he was in the RSL, this is Kostitsyn 1st real chance to play big minutes on a competitive team, and he's shown flashes of brilliance and has done nothing to show that he didin't warrant the 10th overall pick, he's shown that he's among the best from the players in his age bracket with his performance at the WJHC's, his 5th appearance BTW, and now in the AHL he's putting up decent #'s for a 19yr old rookie who dosen't understand a word of english, I think people are way to quick to write him off when he's done nothing to warrant such classification...I swear if Kostitsyn wasn't a Habs pick, he'd be alot more hyped up around here, there's no doubt about that

It's way too soon to write him off, I agree.

I don't think the problem is really that Kost hasn't shown talent to warrant a top 10 selection. I think it's just the fact this is one of the best-looking draft of our time. You overestimate the hatred toward the Habs on this board, IMO.

Lots of non-Habs fan were expecting Komisarek to turn into the next Scott Stevens. Many were rating him as the best defenseman prospect for years.

I think Kostitsyn is a nice prospect but I can't rank him really high in what I think is a fantastic draft. It's just my opinion, though. I think there are a couple of players who have truly separated themselves in the 2003 draft at this point. I dunno, maybe 6-7 guys. Then you have a good bunch of prospects of which AK-47 is part of. Some are going to rate him top 10, some are going to rate him much lower.

I value greatly what Zach Parise can bring to a game. I strongly disagree with the person who says it's a "joke" to rate Parise above Andrei. It may prove to be a mistake but it certainly isn't a joke.

Kost has a lot of potential but so do other players. For instance Steve Bernier has just as much upside, IMO. The tools are a little different but the potential impact is the same. A dominating offensive forward IF all goes well and development is good. IMO, you can make an argument this guy is fairly similar to Kost is value. Do we put him in the top 10?

Then there's the people you are sold on, with intangibles. Like Mike Richards. I am extremely high on this guy. Mark Stuart as well. They aren't flashy players but they look safe to me, they look like players who could come up big in big games and will be achievers in the NHL. That is my feeling. I don't think Mike Richards has the same upside as Kost. In fact, his upside is lower than many forwards in 2003 but he gets the job done so often and consistently that I put him higher than a couple of guys with great upside.

I don't think it's crazy to put Kost 10th overall, but I definitly don't think it's crazy to put him outside the top 20. It doesn't matter anyway. The rankings will continue to change as these guys progress and what matters is what they do in the NHL. Personally, I think the 20th best player in 2003 is likely going to be better than the 10th best player in 2004. Very strong draft year. Good thing for hockey fans

 

[417]

It's way too soon to write him off, I agree.

I don't think the problem is really that Kost hasn't shown talent to warrant a top 10 selection. I think it's just the fact this is one of the best-looking draft of our time. You overestimate the hatred toward the Habs on this board, IMO.

Lots of non-Habs fan were expecting Komisarek to turn into the next Scott Stevens. Many were rating him as the best defenseman prospect for years.

I think Kostitsyn is a nice prospect but I can't rank him really high in what I think is a fantastic draft. It's just my opinion, though. I think there are a couple of players who have truly separated themselves in the 2003 draft at this point. I dunno, maybe 6-7 guys. Then you have a good bunch of prospects of which AK-47 is part of. Some are going to rate him top 10, some are going to rate him much lower.

I value greatly what Zach Parise can bring to a game. I strongly disagree with the person who says it's a "joke" to rate Parise above Andrei. It may prove to be a mistake but it certainly isn't a joke.

Kost has a lot of potential but so do other players. For instance Steve Bernier has just as much upside, IMO. The tools are a little different but the potential impact is the same. A dominating offensive forward IF all goes well and development is good. IMO, you can make an argument this guy is fairly similar to Kost is value. Do we put him in the top 10?

Then there's the people you are sold on, with intangibles. Like Mike Richards. I am extremely high on this guy. Mark Stuart as well. They aren't flashy players but they look safe to me, they look like players who could come up big in big games and will be achievers in the NHL. That is my feeling. I don't think Mike Richards has the same upside as Kost. In fact, his upside is lower than many forwards in 2003 but he gets the job done so often and consistently that I put him higher than a couple of guys with great upside.

I don't think it's crazy to put Kost 10th overall, but I definitly don't think it's crazy to put him outside the top 20. It doesn't matter anyway. The rankings will continue to change as these guys progress and what matters is what they do in the NHL. Personally, I think the 20th best player in 2003 is likely going to be better than the 10th best player in 2004. Very strong draft year. Good thing for hockey fans

Good post Vlad!

I don't think I overestimate the hatred for the Habs on this board, I know it dosen't come from everyone, there's a few notorious posters who go into every thread or poll to ruin it with their biased opinions, and my venom is directed towards them, no need to name names, I think we know who they are, anyways...

As you were saying, many non-Habs were saying Komisarek was going to be the next Scott Stevens, why has that changed now? To me he's improved every year, yes, maybe it hasn't been as fast as others, but he's improving, either way I hate comparing prospects to current players, but everyone knows the learning curve for defensman is much greater than others, especially in Komisarek's case since he's a late bloomer, it'll take him a bit more time but he'll get there, it's just a matter of gaining experience...

I agree with everything else you say though, my whole argument is, Kostitsyn's potential is off the charts IMO, and to me he hasn't done anything to make me think that he's not on the path to proving the Habs right in drafting him 10th overall, but yet most think he's a reach @ 10th overall just because a guy like Jeff Carter was available after and he had a great WJHC's, while IMO, Kostitsyn was just as impressive if not more on a weak Belarus squad...

 

[Habitantpeasoup]

It's way too soon to write him off, I agree.

I don't think the problem is really that Kost hasn't shown talent to warrant a top 10 selection. I think it's just the fact this is one of the best-looking draft of our time. You overestimate the hatred toward the Habs on this board, IMO.

Lots of non-Habs fan were expecting Komisarek to turn into the next Scott Stevens. Many were rating him as the best defenseman prospect for years.

I think Kostitsyn is a nice prospect but I can't rank him really high in what I think is a fantastic draft. It's just my opinion, though. I think there are a couple of players who have truly separated themselves in the 2003 draft at this point. I dunno, maybe 6-7 guys. Then you have a good bunch of prospects of which AK-47 is part of. Some are going to rate him top 10, some are going to rate him much lower.

I value greatly what Zach Parise can bring to a game. I strongly disagree with the person who says it's a "joke" to rate Parise above Andrei. It may prove to be a mistake but it certainly isn't a joke.

Kost has a lot of potential but so do other players. For instance Steve Bernier has just as much upside, IMO. The tools are a little different but the potential impact is the same. A dominating offensive forward IF all goes well and development is good. IMO, you can make an argument this guy is fairly similar to Kost is value. Do we put him in the top 10?

Then there's the people you are sold on, with intangibles. Like Mike Richards. I am extremely high on this guy. Mark Stuart as well. They aren't flashy players but they look safe to me, they look like players who could come up big in big games and will be achievers in the NHL. That is my feeling. I don't think Mike Richards has the same upside as Kost. In fact, his upside is lower than many forwards in 2003 but he gets the job done so often and consistently that I put him higher than a couple of guys with great upside.

I don't think it's crazy to put Kost 10th overall, but I definitly don't think it's crazy to put him outside the top 20. It doesn't matter anyway. The rankings will continue to change as these guys progress and what matters is what they do in the NHL. Personally, I think the 20th best player in 2003 is likely going to be better than the 10th best player in 2004. Very strong draft year. Good thing for hockey fans

Maybe "Joke" was the wrong choice of words as I like Parise as a prospect too & he probably is the safer pick at this point, but Kostitsyn's upside is just down right scary if he comes to realize it.

 

[Mike The Wall]

why the heck write him off he is 19 and if you still think to write him off you guys should be a GM for an NHL team read what Bob Gainey says about him yes he is the GM but Bob Gainey never gets excited about anything..

http://www.canadiens.com/eng/news/redirect.cfm?sectionID=habsNewsDetails.cfm&newsItemID=3897

http://www.canadiens.com/eng/news/redirect.cfm?sectionID=habsNewsDetails.cfm&newsItemID=3889

 

[habs_24x]

He's played OK for a rookie. His defense hasn't been pretty good which is a big improvement over how most people would describe it a year ago. I've seen him play a few times for the Bulldog's and after watching the games I did was surprised to learn he had 9 pts in 30 gms which is ok for a rookie. Also I'll grant the fact that many players are forced to learn the defensive side of the game before they get the oppurtunity to take chances offensively (which is usually a good thing) so he could quite possibly have a break out second year or even second half.

I'll still stand by the not in my top 20 at this point.

Top Ten in no particular order....
Marc-Andre Fleury
Eric Staal
Nathan Horton
Nikolai Zherdev
Thomas Vanek
Ryan Suter
Dion Phaneuf
Zach Parise
Ryan Kesler
Patrice Bergeron

Definitely before Kostitsyn but not top ten in no particular order...

Brent Burns
Jeff Carter
Dustin Brown
Eric Fehr
Ryan Getzlaf
Igor Mirnov
Shea Weber
Corey Perry

About same level as Kostitsyn in no particular order...

Milan Michalek
Steve Bernier
Corey Locke
Mike Richards
Patrick Eaves
Andrei Kostitsyn
Ryan Stone
Braydon Coburn
Loui Eriksson
Kevin Klein

He could possibly slip into the 19 or 20 if I was to order this but right now probably not.

Man, has anyone ever seen a great draft year like this!!! its unreal the talent that came out of this draft. look at these names, i dont see any busts in there. (i know some will not make it tho)

Your going to hear these names resonnate in the arenas for many many years to come.

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

Man, has anyone ever seen a great draft year like this!!! its unreal the talent that came out of this draft. look at these names, i dont see any busts in there. (i know some will not make it tho)

Your going to hear these names resonnate in the arenas for many many years to come.

Yeah, and the scary thing is he forgot some really kickass names. At least Mark Stuart, Brent Seabrook, Shawn Belle possibly others. There are plenty of really good players who don't get noticed right now but who will eventually.

 

[bruins4777*]

Stuart will get loads of recognition here in beantown. We've been waiting a long ass time for a guy like him.

 

[paul99]

For more info on Kostitsyn, see this published yesterday on HF pages.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/article.php?sid=7491

 

[BiggMac99]

He's played OK for a rookie. His defense hasn't been pretty good which is a big improvement over how most people would describe it a year ago. I've seen him play a few times for the Bulldog's and after watching the games I did was surprised to learn he had 9 pts in 30 gms which is ok for a rookie. Also I'll grant the fact that many players are forced to learn the defensive side of the game before they get the oppurtunity to take chances offensively (which is usually a good thing) so he could quite possibly have a break out second year or even second half.

I'll still stand by the not in my top 20 at this point.

Top Ten in no particular order....
Marc-Andre Fleury
Eric Staal
Nathan Horton
Nikolai Zherdev
Thomas Vanek
Ryan Suter
Dion Phaneuf
Zach Parise
Ryan Kesler
Patrice Bergeron

Definitely before Kostitsyn but not top ten in no particular order...

Brent Burns
Jeff Carter
Dustin Brown
Eric Fehr
Ryan Getzlaf
Igor Mirnov
Shea Weber
Corey Perry

About same level as Kostitsyn in no particular order...

Milan Michalek
Steve Bernier
Corey Locke
Mike Richards
Patrick Eaves
Andrei Kostitsyn
Ryan Stone
Braydon Coburn
Loui Eriksson
Kevin Klein

He could possibly slip into the 19 or 20 if I was to order this but right now probably not.

Kesler, Fehr and Webber ahead of Kostitsyn? Yeah, right....

 

[ChemiseBleuHonnete]

I'm not a huge Kostitsyn fan personally. I wouldn't have drafted him to be honest. However, just wait and see. The guy's gotta adapt himself to a lot of new things, especially finding his spots and creating open-ice on a north-american rink / playing style. He's already bulky and strong, he's winning battles along the board and he's got a top-notch shooting arsenal. We've only seen the surface in his case. Lots of untapped skills. Really, I'm tired that the habs draft europeans players with every other first round pick they have. It's time to bring a crash-n-bang player with lots of skills. Or a north-american superskilled forward. It's gonna do wonders in the locker room in the years to come. I really like europeans players, my favorite habs' player is Saku by a huge margin. But he plays a north-american game and he wears a C on his jersey.... Well, it's time to bring a Carter, Brulé, Crosby, whatever...

 

[Freaky Habs Fan]

I'm tired that the habs draft europeans players with every other first round pick they have.

O.K... . Since 2000, the habs had 7 first round pick. They draft 4 N.A player and 3 Euro player so I can't see your point with your comment...

And who would you have draft instead of Perexhogin...a N.A player? C'mon dude, they take their BPA of their list...

 

[417]

For more info on Kostitsyn, see this published yesterday on HF pages.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/article.php?sid=7491

I'm surprised non-Kostitsyn fans haven't gone nutso over this article, pretty bold statements there from the Belarus coach

 

[Meat Wave]

I'm surprised non-Kostitsyn fans haven't gone nutso over this article, pretty bold statements there from the Belarus coach

I think that's because most of them know that we must take coach Zakharov's comments with a grain of salt, after the comments he made on his son during the WJHC.

 

[417]

I think that's because most of them know that we must take coach Zakharov's comments with a grain of salt, after the comments he made on his son during the WJHC.

I realize that, but I thought such comments would of caused an uproar here, what's crazy though is that Kostitsyn 1st played in the WJC's as a 15 yr old, that's crazy when you think about it

 

[KILLger]

I think that's because most of them know that we must take coach Zakharov's comments with a grain of salt, after the comments he made on his son during the WJHC.

What did he say about Konstantin?

 

[ChemiseBleuHonnete]

O.K... . Since 2000, the habs had 7 first round pick. They draft 4 N.A player and 3 Euro player so I can't see your point with your comment...

And who would you have draft instead of Perexhogin...a N.A player? C'mon dude, they take their BPA of their list...

Hainsey, Hossa, Komisarek, Perezhogin, Higgins, Kostitsyn, Chipchura in that order... NA, Euro, Na, Euro, NA, Euro, Na... Isn't that exactly what I said; drafting a euro with every other first round pick...