Nick Bobrov sees Matvei Michkov as a Russian Connor Bedard

The draft is just around the corner. No, actually, the lottery (May 8) is just around the corner.What this means is that it will be easier to do mock drafts. After all, we’ll know who’s entitled to draft Connor Bedard, and we’ll know what the order of play will be.

Because it’s interesting to note that this is where everything can change. Will young Adam Fantilli be the second choice? Will Leo Carlsson be the third choice? Will Will Smith crack the top-5? More importantly, will Matvei Michkov slip? And if so, how high? Michkov is a prospect with enormous potential. The young man has talent coming out of his ears, but we know that the Russian factor is an issue to be considered for the man who still has three years left on his KHL contract and who lost his father in nebulous circumstances.These are factors to be considered. The Habs’ case in this matter is interesting. After all, since the forward represents a risk, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team with several first-round draft picks take him. And that’s the case with the CH, which is however a team that, rightly or wrongly, has the label of a club that doesn’t necessarily want to take players from Russia in the draft, so it’ll be a talking point.

It’s important to note, however, that according to what Tony Marinaro reported on an episode of the Sick Podcast, Nick Bobrov (who is in charge of the draft with Martin Lapointe) would consider Michkov a Russian Connor Bedard, as reported by Aaron Portzline, a journalist who covers the Blue Jackets for The Athletic.

For those who want some context, Portzline was the journalist who said the Jackets would pick Will Smith fourth if they were both to slide that far. Does that mean the top-3 would be completed by Fantilli and Carlsson and not Michkov? It depends on a lot of factors, and it’s hard to say at the moment.

Let’s just mention that the Blue Jackets have a 41.7% chance of slipping to fourth in the draft, which is more than any other ranking for the NHL’s second-worst team this season. If the Blackhawks and Sharks, in order or out of order, win both lotteries, Columbus and Montreal would draft fourth and fifth respectively. Would the CH select Michkov in the event that Columbus went with Smith? What if both are available? Remember that Kent Hughes already has a connection with Will Smith… Would the GM lean on Bobrov, who once worked for SKA (Michvov’s club) and whose father is still, to this day, a member of the St. Petersburg organization?

What does Jeff Gorton think of all this? What about Martin Lapointe? Would Michkov be available if the Habs slip to seventh in the draft? Could all this, if true, change between now and the draft, especially through interviews with the youngster? That’s a lot of questions, isn’t it?

In Brief

– What’s on your radar?

– Kris Letang doesn’t like complete rebuilds.[BPM Sports] – Toronto is on a roll.

– What’s it like to be on the Habs beat ?[98.5 FM] – He has no choice.