BUFFALO | We don’t have a crystal ball. But it’s easy to read between the lines. Kent Hughes doesn’t look set to sign Matvei Michkov with the fifth pick overall.
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Hughes, the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, kept his game open when he met with reporters Thursday morning at the KeyBank Center, home of the Sabers.
The 53-year-old is a good strategist and will keep a certain secret. He didn’t say he would never touch Michkov. However, he pointed out several concerns about such a high election. You could tell from his voice and his eyes that he thought the risk was too high.
However, Hughes’ eyes lit up when he spoke of Ryan Leonard, a 51-goal winger in the US Under-18 program whose intensity he compared to brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk.
We didn’t feel that excitement at the level of Michkov, who is considered by several recruiters to be the rawest talent after Connor Bedard.
“With the players from Russia, there is the geopolitical aspect. There are also aspects of the contract. We have to do our homework. We must first evaluate him as a hockey player and compare him to the other great talents. We’ll do our homework. But there are several factors in the equation.
Contracts that don’t break
There is the geopolitical aspect. Russia remains in conflict with Ukraine. Hughes didn’t comment on that aspect, but an NHL assistant GM recalled the danger of the draft and mentioned that some Russian players currently playing in the NHL are afraid to return to their own country in the summer.
There is also the contractual aspect. Michkov has a contract with SKA Saint Petersburg for the next three seasons. The right winger, at 5’7″ and 150 pounds, would not land in the NHL until the 2026-2027 season.
Hughes could live with the reality of having to wait three seasons for him. But there is another worrying aspect. While some hot Russian talent like Ivan Miroshnichenko, a 2022 Capitals first-round pick and Shakir Mukhamadullin, a 2020 Devils first-round pick traded to the Sharks, have opted to leave the KHL, others are extending theirs Stay.
The Carolina Hurricanes can attest to that. They were hoping for the arrival of defender Aleksander Nikishin, a third-round pick in 2020. Author of a season with 55 points (11 goals, 44 assists) in 65 games in Saint Petersburg, Nikishin renewed his contract in the KHL. He will be 22 next October and will spend at least two more seasons in his home country.
“Yes [ça peut jouer dans notre tête], replied Hughes. Michkov is currently on a three-year contract. But it’s not that re-signing isn’t allowed in Russia. There are other players to choose from who have signed contract extensions in Russia.
“Russia no longer has an agreement with the International Hockey Federation and you can’t break a contract,” he chained. So you can wait a long time for a player.
nothing personal
If we have to raise another red flag, it is to isolate Russia from the rest of the world for reasons we know.
Hughes has not seen Mitchkov at a rink since the 2021 U18 World Cup in Texas.
“I saw him play in person, but that was years ago,” said the former players’ agent. Two years ago it was in Dallas for the under 18s. I haven’t seen him this season. Ideally, like the other candidates, we would like to see him in person. The videos still give us a good impression. And we have enough people to check the level of his game and character. We all have contacts.”
In balancing risk and reward, the needle in Michkov’s case points too much in the risk direction.