Whats your thoughts on him? I find him very overrated. He has a good skillset (just a step down from Semin) but that all goes to waste if he can't commit to a team or fully buy into their system. He's lousy defensively, doesnt back check, and takes shifts off. Hes still a top liner but if hes your top forward, your team is in trouble. On a contender hes best suited as a 3rd or 4th best forward and no way should he be part of any teams core.
I couldn't take anyone seriously when they suggested he's a top 10 forward in the league.
I'm not the only one, THANK GOD!!! Very one-dimensional player... add in being a primadonna and one heck of a shifty snake in the grass with his contracts, I also couldn't take anyone seriously saying he's a top 10 forward.
NEVER liked him - and I wouldn't be surprised is Nashville passes on all Russians in the first round in the future (unless it's a unanimous first overall like Yakupov, then I think they'll consider). If I remember correctly, does San Jose have a policy on not drafting Russians? I heard something to that effect years ago, but can't remember from where or whether or not it's complete hearsay.
All I know is that if I was a GM - unless I'm getting an Ovechkin, a Malkin or a Yakupov - I would NEVER draft a Russian in the first round with the lack of a transfer agreement.
Whats your thoughts on him? I find him very overrated. He has a good skillset (just a step down from Semin) but that all goes to waste if he can't commit to a team or fully buy into their system. He's lousy defensively, doesnt back check, and takes shifts off. Hes still a top liner but if hes your top forward, your team is in trouble. On a contender hes best suited as a 3rd or 4th best forward and no way should he be part of any teams core.
You're confusing being overrated and being a waste of talent. This guy was able to bring something special in terms of puck handling, skating, ice-vision, plays without the puck, deflections and perimeter plays, especially when he was prowling behind the net: Deadly set-ups. He was maybe the Russian player with the most balanced skill-set out there.
But his behavior has been an issue, very disappointing.
Whats your thoughts on him? I find him very overrated. He has a good skillset (just a step down from Semin) but that all goes to waste if he can't commit to a team or fully buy into their system. He's lousy defensively, doesnt back check, and takes shifts off. Hes still a top liner but if hes your top forward, your team is in trouble. On a contender hes best suited as a 3rd or 4th best forward and no way should he be part of any teams core.
When you say he's overrated, what do you think he's rated as?
I like Radulov. He's a VERY skilled player but does have some serious flaws. I think he could have been s very good NHL player had he not been as greedy and demanding. On an offensive team like the Flyers or Capitals of 07-10 I think his skills would have been put to better use. Hopefully one day he can make it back to the NHL.
Not a team player. All about him. Oh and he refuses to cooperate with coaches. If he could change his lousy attitude I'm sure he'd be a great player in the NHL. But that's not gonna happen anytime soon. I'm glad he's out of the league.
The people saying he was a top 10 forward in the world were wrong. The people pretending he isn't a good player are actually even more off-base in my opinion. He is probably top 50 player in the world. He is a talented player and he produces year in and year out. He was near the point a game mark last year during his brief time back not bad considering the change in game. He would make all-star games. The guy is a quality player he gets more hate than he really deserves in North America. Sure he has his problems, but so does Patrick Kane for instance. He can't backcheck to save his life and has frequent off-ice PR disasters. If he was Russian I cannot imagine the label he would have if his home country changed.
He's underrated if anything imo. He's a solid first line ~70 point player. Just because he'd rather play back home for drastically more money doesn't make him any worse of a player
I will forever relish the over hyped threads from last year when a good chunk of HF was heralding the Preds as cup favourites and Radulov was going to tear the NHL a new one. Many said he was a top 5-10 talent and would shine as the star of the Preds. It was hilarity to see the mood turn so sour so immediately when he got in trouble with the team and then got eliminated. HF, please never stop being you.
Not a team player. All about him. Oh and he refuses to cooperate with coaches. If he could change his lousy attitude I'm sure he'd be a great player in the NHL. But that's not gonna happen anytime soon. I'm glad he's out of the league.
I saw him play most of 10 games for Milwaukee before being called up to Nashville. I agree 100%. He is a head case with a lot of talent. What a shame.
His attitude is one thing. In terms of raw talent, he possess elite abilities. Whether or not he uses them in the NHL or KHL, he's still a beast of a player.
I never thought he was that good either. Sort of why I think the KHL doesn't hold a candle up to the NHL. A league where guys like Radulov and Aleksey Morozov are superstars shouldn't be considered an elite hockey league.
I never thought he was that good either. Sort of why I think the KHL doesn't hold a candle up to the NHL. A league where guys like Radulov and Aleksey Morozov are superstars shouldn't be considered an elite hockey league.
I think the game is just more open over there with the bigger rinks, skilled guys like Radulov can be deadly when they have a lot of space to operate. In his limited time over here, you could see him trying the same stuff, but it resulted in a lot of giveaways because he would be engaged by the defenseman.
He's underrated if anything imo. He's a solid first line ~70 point player. Just because he'd rather play back home for drastically more money doesn't make him any worse of a player
I couldn't take anyone seriously when they suggested he's a top 10 forward in the league.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alain Racette
I'm not the only one, THANK GOD!!! Very one-dimensional player... add in being a primadonna and one heck of a shifty snake in the grass with his contracts, I also couldn't take anyone seriously saying he's a top 10 forward.
NEVER liked him - and I wouldn't be surprised is Nashville passes on all Russians in the first round in the future (unless it's a unanimous first overall like Yakupov, then I think they'll consider). If I remember correctly, does San Jose have a policy on not drafting Russians? I heard something to that effect years ago, but can't remember from where or whether or not it's complete hearsay.
All I know is that if I was a GM - unless I'm getting an Ovechkin, a Malkin or a Yakupov - I would NEVER draft a Russian in the first round with the lack of a transfer agreement.
I know the thread you are referring to. Literally, no one ever said they thought he was top 10. At best, a handful of people said he had the potential to, but wasn't there yet. No one claimed he was top 10. Not even the thread creator.
Alex Radulov is probably the most unfairly assessed player in recent memory.
He's one dimensional, despite never having been a minus player in the QMJHL/AHL/NHL/KHL. I'm sure he's always just been the beneficiary of linemates though, or we can throw out the old "plus/minus doesn't mean anything" argument too, but over a 9(ish) year sample size, something like that does mean something. He tore apart the QMJHL, he tore apart the AHL (small sample size, but still did), he put up respectable numbers in the NHL in his first two seasons, and then showed late last season, and during the playoffs, that he can put up solid numbers again. The KHL is basically Radulov's *****.
Sure, we can all agree that he's not the best player in the world, but he is still leading the KHL in scoring, even with the great NHLers like Malkin and Kovalchuk there (played less games than him though, so maybe they catch up).
Maybe Alex Radulov isn't "that" good, but then again, he seems to be showing right now in the KHL that he is. I think it's safe to say that his history of putting up points in every league he's gone to would have continued to translate over in the NHL.
I think the saddest part about this is that we may never truly get to know how good he would have been here in the NHL, but that certainly doesn't mean he's a lesser player. I think far too many people are still refusing to give any credit simply out of anger that he left.
I never thought he was that good either. Sort of why I think the KHL doesn't hold a candle up to the NHL. A league where guys like Radulov and Aleksey Morozov are superstars shouldn't be considered an elite hockey league.
Just because a player dominates one league, but not the other, doesn't necessarily mean the latter is a better league. Kane was the second best point scorer on the Jets team last year, whereas he could barely scrape together a single point in his eleven games in the KHL this year. On the other hand, Radulov was just below a PPG pace last year in the limited amount of action he saw. The game just doesn't translate directly from one league to another. I'd broaden my horizons past the NHL and the CHL if I were you.
Alex Radulov is probably the most unfairly assessed player in recent memory.
He's one dimensional, despite never having been a minus player in the QMJHL/AHL/NHL/KHL. I'm sure he's always just been the beneficiary of linemates though, or we can throw out the old "plus/minus doesn't mean anything" argument too, but over a 9(ish) year sample size, something like that does mean something. He tore apart the QMJHL, he tore apart the AHL (small sample size, but still did), he put up respectable numbers in the NHL in his first two seasons, and then showed late last season, and during the playoffs, that he can put up solid numbers again. The KHL is basically Radulov's *****.
Sure, we can all agree that he's not the best player in the world, but he is still leading the KHL in scoring, even with the great NHLers like Malkin and Kovalchuk there (played less games than him though, so maybe they catch up).
Maybe Alex Radulov isn't "that" good, but then again, he seems to be showing right now in the KHL that he is. I think it's safe to say that his history of putting up points in every league he's gone to would have continued to translate over in the NHL.
I think the saddest part about this is that we may never truly get to know how good he would have been here in the NHL, but that certainly doesn't mean he's a lesser player. I think far too many people are still refusing to give any credit simply out of anger that he left.
Couldn't agree more, especially with the bolded part. When North American players get drafted in the KHL draft, people laugh, yet when someone snubs the almighty NHL, all hell breaks loose. And like someone above mentioned already, there's nothing wrong with being satisfied to play in Russia, if you like it there more AND you're getting more money to begin with. Personally, I find it refreshing to see someone who isn't enamoured by the West, and just does his own thing.
I never thought he was that good either. Sort of why I think the KHL doesn't hold a candle up to the NHL. A league where guys like Radulov and Aleksey Morozov are superstars shouldn't be considered an elite hockey league.
