Matvei Michkov: more and more experts see him outside the top 10

Even though we’re talking about the Connor Bedard draft, everyone’s talking about Matvei Michkov. The Russian forward has been turning heads for years, but this time around, his draft stock has taken an even bigger hit.

According to EliteProspects ‘ draft guide, several field hockey experts seem to think there’s an increasing chance he’ll be selected outside the top 10.

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In my opinion, this is madness. This player has the potential to become a great player in the NHL and he’s already stated his intention to play in North America. It only takes a general manager patient enough to select him, since he still has a contract until 2025-26 with his KHL team.

Several other players who will be selected in the top 10 don’t have Matvei Michkov’s potential. Some of them will stay in junior until they’re 20 and may not even be ready to join the NHL after that. We’ve often seen Russian players come late to the NHL and dominate. Artemi Panarin and Kirill Kaprizov come to mind.

What’s more, most of these teams are rebuilding. They have time to wait for a high-quality player. If you rush a rebuild, it can often end badly.

The San Jose Sharks could take advantage of this situation. They’re open to trading their fourth pick and aren ‘t afraid to draft Michkov. So they could trade their pick to move down in the draft, pick up other assets in the deal and still get their hands on Mishkov.

The Athletic‘s Corey Pronman believes Matvei Michkov has the best potential of any player in this draft.

He puts him ahead of Connor Bedard. Imagine that! Obviously, I don’t think Mishkov is better than Bedard, but it’s clear he’s making his mark and could become one of the NHL’s top scorers.

The only thing NHL general managers have to do is be patient. It’s worth a lot more than having a guy score 25-30 points a season in his first few years of development in the league.

If I were Kent Hughes, I’d jump on Michkov if he’s still available in the fifth round of the draft.

In Brief

– A win for the Jays.

– I agree!

– Not good news for the Yankees.