Major twist: it would be a two-team race to draft Matvei Michkov

PUBLICATION

Elias Edmonson
June 25, 2023 (8:39 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

We recently learned that Matvei Michkov was going to Nashville, the site of the upcoming NHL Draft, and that he was going to meet with teams.

The Canadiens will finally have the opportunity to meet him in person, before the 2023 National Hockey League Draft.

As it is always the case in this nebulous file for several weeks, new information from Russia is muddying the waters.

According to what an anonymous Russian source mentioned to the Match TV site, the young forward has a 99% chance of ending up with the Washington Capitals, who have the 8th overall pick in the upcoming draft.

The only other team that could select him, if the Capitals changed their mind, would be the Vancouver Canucks.

"Matvei Michkov will go to Washington, you'll see. The Capitals will definitely draft him. Michkov, who has refused all meeting requests from team representatives in Russia, did so following requests from his team, SKA, to discuss with no outside representatives. Everything seems clear as crystal. Michkov will not be selected in the top three because of his 3-year contract in Russia. It's hard to imagine Montreal (5th) selecting him. Teams like Arizona (6th) or Philadelphia (7th) understand he might not make it to the NHL until he's 26. In 8 seasons, the management group can change. What's the point of picking a prospect who will only help the team under your successor's reign? There's only one real competitor for the Capitals and that's the San Jose Sharks (4th) because the team owner loves Russian hockey and is a fan of Igor Larionov. If for some incredible reason the Caps don't pick him, he'll go to the Vancouver Canucks (11th), but according to my information, the Capitals are seriously considering selecting Michkov to succeed Alex Ovechkin." - Anonymous Russian Source

Everything seems therefore to be arranged in advance and as we mentioned in a recent article, the Michkov clan seems to be really choosing its destination in the NHL. Even if he agrees to meet the CH and come to town, do we really want this kind of person in the Habs organization? Is he a player who would really fit into the culture that Martin St. Louis is trying to establish with the organization?

To ask the question is in a way to answer it...