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Kuznetsov ready to help Demidov (even if he doesn’t like mentoring)

 Michael Johnson
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Kuznetsov ready to help Demidov (even if he doesn’t like mentoring)
Credit: Getty Images
Like every year, SKA St. Petersburg will be a team to watch this season in the KHL.

The club boasts a number of NHL veterans and alumni, but this summer they landed a very big fish: Evgeny Kuznetsov.

The Russian and the Hurricanes mutually terminated his contract, so that he could join the KHL and be closer to his family.

Not only will he be well surrounded by veterans such as Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Zaitsev and Sergei Plotnikov, but there are several young prospects who will want to make their mark, including a certain Ivan Demidov.

In addition to Demidov, St. Petersburg can count on Alexander Nikishin, a Hurricanes defenseman prospect to keep an eye on. But there’s also Arseni Gritsyuk, a Colorado Avalanche prospect who has just enjoyed two very good seasons in the KHL.

We also recently learned that Tony D’Angelo could be joining SKA.

Now that would be a major addition.

In short, SKA is well endowed with veterans and talented young players, but which experienced players will step up to help the youngsters when needed?

Kuznetsov could very well be, even if he’s never really liked mentoring.

That’s what we understand from this article by Aleksey Shevchenko, a journalist covering the KHL.

The latter obtained an interview with Kuznetsov, in which he asked him all sorts of questions.

Shevchenko asked him if the youngsters could rely on him for advice.

Although he’s not really comfortable with mentoring, he said he would.

I’m an open person, but at the same time, I’m not a fan of giving advice. Of course, if Demidov asks me for something related to hockey, I’ll give him advice. But approaching young players and telling them something makes me uncomfortable. – Evgeny Kuznetsov

Kuz also mentioned that he didn’t like it when “people put wool over his eyes”, which means he didn’t like it when people threw smoke in his eyes.

Well, his comments weren’t the most convincing, but we can see that despite the fact that he doesn’t really like it, he’ll still do it for the youngsters.

Demidov will need advice from a player of Kuznetsov’s calibre, as it will help him become a better player, as they share some similarities in their game.

Let’s see what role Demidov will play in St. Petersburg this season, and more importantly, how far the club will go.

Even if he doesn’t play a crucial role, winning in the KHL at such a young age can only be good for him.


Overtime

– It was quite a game, with late goals from both sides, ending in a shootout. Cole Eiserman was very dangerous.

– I got chills, what a great comeback by Summer McIntosh!

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