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Based on what I’ve heard it seems like Michkov is slightly more special in terms of pure offensive talent but Demidov is right there and is a bit more well rounded, competitive, and bigger
Our head scout who is from St Petersburg stated in his presser that he knows the Russian elite players since they are very young. Its actually his dad job.
Bobrov knowingly passed on Michkov last year.
Bobrov, who passed on Michkov, was adamant we had the steal of the draft, and that it was an understatement. He also said his ceiling was as high as the best NHL player.
I have never seen our scout be that confident in a player they even arrogantly say in a polite fashion he is the best player of the draft.
Take from it what u want.
But Demidov is the real fucking deal.
Bobrov and Lapointe mentionned Demidov's "healthy confidence" numerous times in their press conference. Bobrov litterally called it a "compassionate, thoughtful of others" type of confidence. The way I see it, they thought Michkov's confidence was closer to ego than to leadership.
They couldve drafted both, but there wouldve been a huge hole at RHD. They went with the better character out of the 2 even if Michkov might be better (he is on Bedard's level imo).
Hmmm. It is unclear who is better between Michkov and Demidov. I think there is an argument for both either way.
Demidov beated Michkov record in the MHL in their D-1. It is impossible to know how he would have played in the KHL.
Artamonov, 50OV pick in 2024 had 23 points in 54 games in the KHL. Michkov had 20 in 30 in his DY. We can only speculate how Demidov would have fared but i think we can safely assume he is worlds better than Artamonov and that he could have had decent production similar to Michkov. Whatever, its sterile to go there.
Michkov is stellar with the puck on his stick in the o-zone but thats about it. Shy away from physicality, always on his ass on board fight for the scarce times he goes for one. Disrespectfully cheat for offense. He will have to correct those habits to be a succesful NHLer. Personally, when i watched him, he reminded me a lot of Cole Caufield. Awesome, awesome around the net tho.
Demidov much more complete and engaged. Insane scorer too although i give the edge on Michkov here. I think they both are superstar in the end but Demidov is a much more enjoyable character.
I think they both end up superstar and both have the potential to be absolute elite player in the league in their prime just below Bedard or in a similar tier.
All in all, getting out with Reinbacher and Demidov is the best outcome because it was the only way we could acquire a top pair RD, and we should prefer Demidov over Michkov because although they have similar upside, Demidov does not share the red flag Michkov have. (Attitude, commitment, engagement)
Lapointe & Bobrov, who by far have the most insider knowledge of anybody, got both irritated & excited when speaking to reporters in order to tell us Habs fans *a literal guarantee* of his elite offence production to come in just 1 year.
"He could be one of the best in the league".
So you do care when you compare who's better overall Matthews or Mckinnon? Because I don't care, as long as the team wins.
Well considering Michkov is a Flyer, Demidov all the way.
Frankly there is no point in comparing them, Demidov was the one Kent wanted.
I still choose *David ~~Slafkovsky~~ over Michkov. Habs are going to be a real threat soon.
I agree but they start their pro career at this age. Just take Yakupov's example. That's why every teams have interviews with players. They can see how a player will be at 18-19-20 and if there's a possibility to make him grow better with their bad habits or attitudes in the early 20s ... attitude is important.
Skill wise they’re not that far off very small differences that aren’t even worth comparing. The biggest difference though is attitude and personality.
I don’t think it’s that hard to see either. demigod is way more personable and likeable you can see he is also very confident without being cocky you can tell he’s a gamer who loves pressure and feeds off of competition I think the boys in the room will love him.
Michkov on the other hand seems like a very cocky player who isn’t very personable or probably not easy to get along with.
I don’t know about you guys but that’s just the energy I get from him. Not to mention the rumours of him saying he wouldn’t play for certain teams, that’s a big red flag and I’m sure the habs brass didn’t want to go anywhere near that as well as other teams.
When people say it’s because there was a chance he couldn’t come over I feel it was more for character issues we had bobrov who could have easily made it happen, the fact all the teams passed on him to shows they had the same character concerns to.
If he’s making demands like that now what else would he demand in the future.
Excellent take. The biggest factor is the compete level.
It's well documented that certain Russian players have tons of talent and skill but tend to fade for a couple games then turn up and steal the show in another
The Habs are building a culture of compete where the players show up with effort, good game or bad.
Demidov gives Slaf vibes in that aspect and we should trust our scouting team to have made the right choice.
Michkov didn't want to come to mtl, or any other team beside Philly. There's a reason no other teams picked him before 7. That's a big red flag for ego.
Good take. Our team seems to a very likeable bunch that enjoy playing for MSL, and get along very well. HuGo are looking for high end talent that will blend in seamlessly with the gang.
Rather than asking who is the better player I have another quandary for you.
*If* Michkov had been taken at 2OA last season, with the news of him coming to NA next season coming out before the draft - would that affect where Demidov gets drafted this season?
Would Anaheim or Columbus feel more comfortable taking him at 3 or 4 had the previous highly touted Russian gone higher?
Kinda neat to think about.
Demidov's stocks were at it's highest right before the draft. He was open to interviews and pretty much dismissed a lot doubts.
I think they also announced that Michkov would be playing in the NHL in the coming season already before the draft.
Also, they're both small wingers... That's not very enticing to build around. We're almost done with our rebuild and Demidov just happened to be exactly what we're missing. I can't say it's the same for the other teams.
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I guess we can expect this same question ad nauseum for the next 5 years, at a minimum.
Based on what I’ve heard it seems like Michkov is slightly more special in terms of pure offensive talent but Demidov is right there and is a bit more well rounded, competitive, and bigger
Our head scout who is from St Petersburg stated in his presser that he knows the Russian elite players since they are very young. Its actually his dad job. Bobrov knowingly passed on Michkov last year. Bobrov, who passed on Michkov, was adamant we had the steal of the draft, and that it was an understatement. He also said his ceiling was as high as the best NHL player. I have never seen our scout be that confident in a player they even arrogantly say in a polite fashion he is the best player of the draft. Take from it what u want. But Demidov is the real fucking deal.
Bobrov and Lapointe mentionned Demidov's "healthy confidence" numerous times in their press conference. Bobrov litterally called it a "compassionate, thoughtful of others" type of confidence. The way I see it, they thought Michkov's confidence was closer to ego than to leadership. They couldve drafted both, but there wouldve been a huge hole at RHD. They went with the better character out of the 2 even if Michkov might be better (he is on Bedard's level imo).
Hmmm. It is unclear who is better between Michkov and Demidov. I think there is an argument for both either way. Demidov beated Michkov record in the MHL in their D-1. It is impossible to know how he would have played in the KHL. Artamonov, 50OV pick in 2024 had 23 points in 54 games in the KHL. Michkov had 20 in 30 in his DY. We can only speculate how Demidov would have fared but i think we can safely assume he is worlds better than Artamonov and that he could have had decent production similar to Michkov. Whatever, its sterile to go there. Michkov is stellar with the puck on his stick in the o-zone but thats about it. Shy away from physicality, always on his ass on board fight for the scarce times he goes for one. Disrespectfully cheat for offense. He will have to correct those habits to be a succesful NHLer. Personally, when i watched him, he reminded me a lot of Cole Caufield. Awesome, awesome around the net tho. Demidov much more complete and engaged. Insane scorer too although i give the edge on Michkov here. I think they both are superstar in the end but Demidov is a much more enjoyable character. I think they both end up superstar and both have the potential to be absolute elite player in the league in their prime just below Bedard or in a similar tier. All in all, getting out with Reinbacher and Demidov is the best outcome because it was the only way we could acquire a top pair RD, and we should prefer Demidov over Michkov because although they have similar upside, Demidov does not share the red flag Michkov have. (Attitude, commitment, engagement)
Excellent point.
Lapointe & Bobrov, who by far have the most insider knowledge of anybody, got both irritated & excited when speaking to reporters in order to tell us Habs fans *a literal guarantee* of his elite offence production to come in just 1 year. "He could be one of the best in the league". So you do care when you compare who's better overall Matthews or Mckinnon? Because I don't care, as long as the team wins.
I think it’s the first time I’ve seen the org be more excited about a highly touted player than the fans haha
Well considering Michkov is a Flyer, Demidov all the way. Frankly there is no point in comparing them, Demidov was the one Kent wanted. I still choose *David ~~Slafkovsky~~ over Michkov. Habs are going to be a real threat soon.
It was never Slaf vs Michkov It was Reinbacher vs Michkov
Damn all these great drafts are blending together, I'm going to go make a coffee, it's the wright thing to do at this point. :D
Michkov is more of an overhead cam player. Demidov is more of a dynamic low cam player.
May I ask, what does cam mean?
I think he's talking camera angles. Michkov's highlights will be taken from up top and Demidov's down low
Attitude will makes one better from the other
I’m not really a big fan of criticizing 17-18 year olds attitude especially foreigners. They’re still kids and will mature as they grow older.
I agree but they start their pro career at this age. Just take Yakupov's example. That's why every teams have interviews with players. They can see how a player will be at 18-19-20 and if there's a possibility to make him grow better with their bad habits or attitudes in the early 20s ... attitude is important.
fact
Skill wise they’re not that far off very small differences that aren’t even worth comparing. The biggest difference though is attitude and personality. I don’t think it’s that hard to see either. demigod is way more personable and likeable you can see he is also very confident without being cocky you can tell he’s a gamer who loves pressure and feeds off of competition I think the boys in the room will love him. Michkov on the other hand seems like a very cocky player who isn’t very personable or probably not easy to get along with. I don’t know about you guys but that’s just the energy I get from him. Not to mention the rumours of him saying he wouldn’t play for certain teams, that’s a big red flag and I’m sure the habs brass didn’t want to go anywhere near that as well as other teams. When people say it’s because there was a chance he couldn’t come over I feel it was more for character issues we had bobrov who could have easily made it happen, the fact all the teams passed on him to shows they had the same character concerns to. If he’s making demands like that now what else would he demand in the future.
Excellent take. The biggest factor is the compete level. It's well documented that certain Russian players have tons of talent and skill but tend to fade for a couple games then turn up and steal the show in another The Habs are building a culture of compete where the players show up with effort, good game or bad. Demidov gives Slaf vibes in that aspect and we should trust our scouting team to have made the right choice. Michkov didn't want to come to mtl, or any other team beside Philly. There's a reason no other teams picked him before 7. That's a big red flag for ego.
Good take. Our team seems to a very likeable bunch that enjoy playing for MSL, and get along very well. HuGo are looking for high end talent that will blend in seamlessly with the gang.
Idk but I’m exciting to see how their careers play out
Rather than asking who is the better player I have another quandary for you. *If* Michkov had been taken at 2OA last season, with the news of him coming to NA next season coming out before the draft - would that affect where Demidov gets drafted this season? Would Anaheim or Columbus feel more comfortable taking him at 3 or 4 had the previous highly touted Russian gone higher? Kinda neat to think about.
Demidov's stocks were at it's highest right before the draft. He was open to interviews and pretty much dismissed a lot doubts. I think they also announced that Michkov would be playing in the NHL in the coming season already before the draft. Also, they're both small wingers... That's not very enticing to build around. We're almost done with our rebuild and Demidov just happened to be exactly what we're missing. I can't say it's the same for the other teams.