Nick Bobrov and Martin Lapointe, these two draft “experts”, are up to their necks in hot water.
We had warned them, but no, they turned a deaf ear.
Today, they must answer for their questionable choices and their resounding failures. David Reinbacher, a flop? That’s an understatement.
Not only is he a flop, but he also has some bad knees, adding insult to injury for a fifth overall pick. Well done guys, what a recruiter’s flair!
What is funny or deeply sad is that even before this injury, the signals were already red.
Reinbacher didn’t shine at rookie camp, getting outplayed by guys like Lane Hutson and Adam Engstrom.
And let’s not even talk about the insipid performances during the preparatory matches, where he was just another player, transparent, self-effacing, incapable of making a difference.
And now we hear he could miss several months – or even the entire season – with another knee injury.
Seriously, how long will it take before Bobrov and Lapointe realize that they were seriously mistaken?
The Canadiens wanted an elite defenseman to build for the future. Result: they have a fragile hope, delayed in its development, which may never meet expectations.
The most disturbing thing about all of this? This is not the first time that the Canadian has missed a first-round pick. Kotkaniemi, does that mean anything to you?
Yes, we know the song. KK was a 3rd overall pick. Here we are talking about a fifth choice in total. This kind of mistake could delay the team’s rebuild for several years.
The fans’ patience has its limits, and frankly, it’s about to burst.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Matvei Michkov, the one Bobrov and Lapointe so proudly ignored, is making magic.
Three goals, three assists in three preparatory matches. The NHL’s leading scorer in pre-season. And while Michkov shines, Reinbacher does physio.
Who made this ridiculous choice? Nick Bobrov, of course, and his sidekick Martin Lapointe, the two geniuses of the draft.
Bobrov may have all his contacts in Russia, but apparently that is of no use to him when it comes to making the right decisions.
Passing up a generational talent like Michkov for a defenseman barely able to stand on his skates? It’s almost criminal.
This kind of blunder could haunt the team for years, like choosing Kotkaniemi over Quinn Hughes or Brady Tkachuk.
We can only cross our fingers that Bobrov and Lapointe do not do further damage during the next draft, while the CH should have a TOP 5 choice once again.
David Reinbacher’s situation is a long-term disaster. And if Bobrov and Lapointe do not wake up quickly, they risk hastening the end of a reconstruction project which could well fail before it even begins.
Nick Bobrov, this famous “expert” straight from Russia, carries a reputation which, at this point, resembles more of a mirage than a reality.
For a guy supposed to have a well-stocked address book among Russian players, he missed the target right in the middle with Michkov.
And don’t tell me about Ivan Demidov. Even our grandmother would have selected him 5th overall.
But it’s not just Michkov, let’s talk about the questionable choices he’s orchestrated since his arrival.
Bobrov, who was once criticized with the New York Rangers, has been making the same mistakes since he set foot at the Bell Center.
The Russian’s mistakes with the Rangers when he was in charge of the amateur draft for the Rangers, started to pile up quite quickly.
Although Bobrov has been touted as a recruiting ace in Europe, his choices in New York have often left fans perplexed.
Lias Andersson (7e choix, 2017), Vitali Kravtsov (9e choix, 2018), Kaapo Kakko (2e choix, 2019)…et Reinbacher….
Martin Lapointe is not to be outdone. Closely associated with Bobrov in this debacle, Lapointe, who was as incompetent as ever with Marc Bergevin and Trevor Timmins, does not seem to have the necessary instincts to unearth talent that will have a real impact or to confront Bobrov when he is about to make a mistake like Reinbacher or Mesar.
Yes, he is close to the players, we grant him that. But what’s the point of being “close” if you can’t recognize an elite talent like Michkov when it hits you?
The truth is that Bobrov’s reputation is crumbling at an alarming rate. Formerly seen as a strategic asset, he is now seen as a weakness, a danger for the future of the team.
Each day that passes reinforces the idea that Bobrov and Lapointe are not the right men for a team that must rebuild correctly.
The reality is implacable: the Montreal Canadiens made a big mistake by entrusting the keys to the draft to Nick Bobrov and Martin Lapointe.
With David Reinbacher, they bet on the wrong horse, and now they are paying the price for their incompetence. While Michkov lights up the NHL with his talent, we in Montreal are left watching an injured prospect drag himself on the road to recovery, with no guarantee that he will ever regain his potential.
If the trend continues, Bobrov and Lapointe risk dragging the Canadian into an abyss from which it will be difficult to escape.
But hey, it’s not as if Montreal isn’t used to questionable choices and outdated leaders. Let’s just hope this monumental mistake doesn’t doom the team’s rebuild for the next decade.
Because at this rate, we could well find ourselves repeating the same debates in a few years, with another generation of rabid supporters.
Ouch.
