Let’s talk about Matvei Michkov. Just for fun.
Matvei Michkov will always be a popular name in Montreal. And taking David Reinbacher (or anyone else) ahead of the Russian with the 2023 fifth pick is still going to go down badly for a lot of people.
But what you need to understand is that there are reasons why the CH did not choose Michkov in the draft.
And on that subject, this morning on the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman briefly touched on the subject. He said it right after mentioning that Ivan Demidov, from what he heard, is a real stud. It’s a big compliment to say that he’s too strong.
He continued the discussion by making connections between Demidov and Michkov. We might wonder who told him that (if it was people from Montreal, for example), but it still says a lot.
There are people who criticize the Canadian for not choosing Michkov. Mishkov wanted to go to Philadelphia. We have to stop this [les critiques].
He worked his way to Philly. – Elliotte Friedman
He believes that the selection of Demidov will help certain people in Montreal get over the fact that the CH (like several other clubs, in fact) did not choose Michkov.
When we look at the stats (or the matches), we can see that the 20-year-old has a special talent.
But it comes back to what I said the other time: there are reasons why the CH looked at such talent and decided to go for David Reinbacher instead.
Yes, the Canadian could have drafted him. But at a certain point, you want guys who want to be in the city. You also want guys who won’t be problems in your locker room.
And an 18-year-old dictating his future like that raises red flags.
I think Michkov is going to have a great NHL career, but we’ll see if the controversies stick with him. And I imagine the six teams that drafted before the Flyers in 2023 are watching the file, too.
In burst
– He has a radio face, indeed.
– It continues to make people talk.
– Justin Barron needs to remember his strengths. [TSN 690]
– Good listening.
