BUFFALO | We don’t have a crystal ball. But you can easily read between the lines. Kent Hughes doesn’t look like he’ll draft Matvei Michkov with the fifth overall pick.
• Read also – Matvei Michkov absent: an assistant DG confides in the fear of the Russians
• Read also: Ryan Leonard, the prospect Kent Hughes compares to the Tkachuk brothers
Hughes, the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, kept his game open when meeting with reporters Thursday morning at KeyBank Center, the home of the Sabres.
A fine strategist, the 53-year-old man will keep a certain mystery. He didn’t say he would never touch Michkov. But he pointed out several concerns with such a high pick. You could tell in his voice and his look that he thought the risk was too high.
Hughes, however, had sparkling eyes when speaking of Ryan Leonard, a winger in the United States Under-18 program who scored 51 goals and whom he compared to brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk for his intensity.
We did not feel this enthusiasm at the level of Michkov, considered by several recruiters as the most raw talent after Connor Bedard.
“With the players from Russia, there is the geopolitical aspect. There are aspects of the contract too. We must do our homework. We have to evaluate him first as a hockey player and compare him with the other big prospects. We will 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 drafting and mentioned that some Russian players currently in the NHL dread returning to their own country in the summer.
There is also the contractual aspect. Michkov has a contract for the next three seasons with SKA Saint Petersburg. The right winger of 5 ft 10 in and 172 lb would therefore not land in the NHL before the 2026-2027 season.
Hughes could live with this reality, that of waiting for him for three seasons. But there is another disturbing aspect. If some great Russian hopefuls like Ivan Miroshnichenko, a first-round pick (20e) from the Capitals in 2022, and Shakir Mukhamadullin, a 2020 Devils first-round pick who was traded to the Sharks, have opted out of the KHL, others are extending their stays.
The Carolina Hurricanes can attest to that. They were hoping for the arrival of defender Aleksander Nikishin, a choice of 3e turn in 2020. Author of a season of 55 points (11 goals, 44 assists) in 65 games in Saint Petersburg, Nikishin extended his contract in the KHL. He will be 22 next October and he will still have a minimum of two more seasons in his native country.
“Yes [ça peut jouer dans notre tête], replied Hughes. Michkov has a contract for three years at the moment. But it’s not like it’s not allowed to re-sign in Russia. There are other players who have been drafted who have signed contract extensions in Russia.
“Russia no longer has an agreement with the International Hockey Federation and you cannot break a contract, he chained. So you can wait a long time for a player.
nothing in person
If we have to raise another red flag, there is that of closing Russia to the rest of the world for the reasons we know.
Hughes hasn’t seen Mitchkov on a rink since the World Under-18 Championship in Texas in 2021.
“I saw him play in person, but it’s been years,” said the former players’ agent. It was in Dallas for the under-18s two years ago. This season, I haven’t seen him. Ideally, we’d like to see him in person, like the other hopefuls. The videos still give us a good idea. And we have enough people to check on the level of his game and his character. We all have contacts.”
In the balance of risk and reward, the needle is pointing too much towards risk in Michkov’s case.