Dramatic turn of events in the Matvei Michkov case: the Montreal Canadiens finally have their answer

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Elias Adaime
May 29, 2023 (12:07)

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For several weeks, Matvei Michkov's name has certainly been one of the most talked about among the Montreal Canadiens (and among the fans).

With the 5th overall pick, the Canadiens probably have the best choice to draft the generational talent that Michkov represents, but some red flags and big questions are holding some people back (his native country and his KHL contract).

However, in the last few minutes, there has been a major development that could change everything.

We have our answer

In an exclusive interview just published by TVA Sports, Michkov's current assistant coach, Daniel Bochner, who is also the player development coach for the organization, mentioned this.

"Once his contract is finished at the end of the 2025-2026 season, Michkov will be 100% free to do what he wants, including joining the National Hockey League (NHL) team that drafted him."

Boom! That's exactly the information we needed and were missing.

In light of this, do you believe the Canadiens should absolutely draft Michkov?

For those who are still in doubt, Bochner added this:

"Let's make one thing clear: SKA does not hold athletes against their will. Since my arrival with the club, Artem Zub, Vladislav Gavrikov, Alexander Barabanov, Igor Shesterkin, Artemi Panarin, Kirill Marchenko, Vasily Podkolzin and Andrei Kuzmenko have all left for the NHL at the end of their agreement. And we're talking about excellent players! I think when you have a good program and one of your representatives wants to go show his skills against the best players in the world in the NHL, things fall into place on their own." - Daniel Bochner

This will put an end to a scary theory that Michkov might be forced to stay with Saint Petersburg at the end of his contract. This is not the case and it comes from a reliable source.

See here the major report that could change everything:

We want Michkov! He is the best Russian player since Alex Ovechkin, according to many, and he has talent comparable to Nathan MacKinnon and Auston Matthews.

POLL
Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson, and Smith are no longer available at the 5th pick, who would you draft?
Michkov	984	80.7 %
Benson	106	8.7 %
Dvorsky	54	4.4 %
Reinbacher or other	75	6.2 %
List of polls