Matvei Michkov May End up Pushing Himself Down in the NHL Draft
There's been a cloud of mystery surrounding Matvei Michkov ever since he emerged as one of the better players that would take part in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. In fact, there are analysts and scouts that would place Michkov ahead of phenom Connor Bedard in terms of pure skill. But, he is highly unlikely to get drafted in the top three, and the reasons why are becoming clearer.
Not Much for Small Talk
No Russian athletes appeared at the recent draft combine, a chance for scouts and GMs to discover more about a potential draft pick's physical fitness levels, as well as their level of maturity. So, no one got to talk to Michkov there. But it goes deeper. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, scouts have gone to Russia to try to talk to Michkov, but he either has little time for them or isn't allowed to talk to them.
"You would try to talk to him, set up appointments, and he wasn't interested. The only way you could talk to him was if you physically got to him right after a game for a couple of minutes. Everyone is wondering does Michkov have a preference."
Preference?
There are many wondering if Michkov has a team or teams in mind that he'd like to start his NHL career with. He is technically under contract in the KHL until 2026. However, contracts can be broken if one side is determined enough. In the meantime, there's some sense that he will be meeting with only the teams he chooses at the 2023 NHL draft on June 28/29. There has even been some talk of cockiness, and perhaps even overconfidence.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 17 | 230 ANSWERS Matvei Michkov May End up Pushing Himself Down in the NHL Draft Would you take Michkov top three if you were a GM? | ||
| Yes | 80 | 34.8 % |
| No | 107 | 46.5 % |
| Not sure | 43 | 18.7 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mikko Rantanen | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jake Debrusk | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Connor McDavid | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Brock Nelson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Valeri Nichushkin | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jonathan Drouin | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Roman Josi | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Kirill Marchenko | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Kyle Palmieri | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Artemi Panarin | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Evan Bouchard | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||