Matvei Michkov file: the Canadian among the most informed teams

As my colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois mentioned this morning, the thousand-dollar question on the Habs’ minds right now is whether Montreal will draft Matvei Michkov in the fifth spot.

I wouldn’t be telling you anything if I told you that by drafting in the top-5, Kent Hughes has a good chance of seeing the Russian available when he steps onto the podium. But will he dare venture to Russia? We know the player’s situation is scary, and the more we hear from the GM, the less we expect Mishkov to be selected by the club…

We know that Hughes hasn’t spoken to the main player, but according to Martin Leclerc, the team remains among the most informed about him.

It’s not often that Leclerc speaks in a vacuum. It’s safe to say that Montreal has done its homework, even if none of the team’s personnel have seen the forward in action . For his part, Kent Hughes hasn’t seen him in action with his own eyes for two years. Managers and scouts have watched videos, but his play behind the screen doesn’t tell the whole story.

The team can still count itself lucky to have a certain Nick Bobrov in its ranks. Although the Russian hasn’t been in his homeland this year, he has contacts there and his father is a scout for Mishkov’s team, SKA St. Petersburg. Could Bobrov Jr. have heard some interesting things from his father about the player in question? It’s possible, after all, Sergei Bobrov doesn’t need to keep “professional secrets” about anything.

And I often wonder, “If Montreal drafted the kid, would Bobrov be able to get him to come to Montreal sooner?” The question arises because, remember, there’s nothing stopping Mishkov from honoring his KHL contract. Agreements in Russia can be bought out. One thing’s for sure: his contract is scary.

In brief

– The Jets are obviously not going to give anyone PLD.

Canadiens fans should temper their expectations…😳😕https://t.co/2JhwYLwQnz

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) June 8, 2023

– Pictured.

– Oh, yeah?

– Wow.

– Here’s hoping.