what type of NHL career will he have? and will he be better than Mark Stone?
So random...
If Kucherov wants to be better than Stone, he'll be better than Stone. The upside is much higher.
There's no guarantee Kucherov has the will to come over and refine his game and do the work necessary.
With any Russian player you wonder will he have an NHL career or KHL one.
Apparently as the story goes. Yzerman wasn't planning on drafting him. He thought of him as a first round talent, but the Russian Factor was some what scaring him off. Kucherov approached Yzerman and said "I want to play in the NHL." He just wants to develop in Russia.If that's the case, then I would expect him to be an NHLer...A pretty damn good one at that. I would rather Russians Develop in Russia anyway as a personal preference.
Apparently as the story goes. Yzerman wasn't planning on drafting him. He thought of him as a first round talent, but the Russian Factor was some what scaring him off. Kucherov approached Yzerman and said "I want to play in the NHL." He just wants to develop in Russia.If that's the case, then I would expect him to be an NHLer...A pretty damn good one at that. I would rather Russians Develop in Russia anyway as a personal preference.
For players that can't make the jump from juniors to the NHL (like Grigorenko and Yakupov), it is probably better that they develop in Russia until they're 22 or so. If I were an NHL GM, I would take the player when I knew he would make the roster, so that the AHL-KHL choice was never there.
I don't know much about Kucherov, but he sure seems to have all of the talent you can ask for. I bet if he would be one of the top players in juniors, rather easily.
Apparently as the story goes. Yzerman wasn't planning on drafting him. He thought of him as a first round talent, but the Russian Factor was some what scaring him off. Kucherov approached Yzerman and said "I want to play in the NHL." He just wants to develop in Russia.If that's the case, then I would expect him to be an NHLer...A pretty damn good one at that. I would rather Russians Develop in Russia anyway as a personal preference.
Also, Vladislav Namestnikov's(TB first round pick) father is one of Kucherov's coaches so Yzerman talked to him following the first round selection and the cemented his selection.
I might be looking through my "man-crush" glasses but I think Yzerman has an eye for great players and I think he did well in the draft. Nesterov is also a player looking like he is developing well and will be a great value pick if he makes the team at any level.
Yzerman played with some of the leagues most talented Russians during his career although Russian hockey has changed I am sure he learned a lot about Russia development, also like mentioned above there were some personal connections to the players to know or find out more details.
Kucherov's development looks like its coming along nicely.
10 Points in 6 Games, with one shoot out goal. Haven't seem him play, so I can't comment on anything but what the stats say. Excited to seem him in the NHL if he can translate his game there.
Have the ramparts decided which Russian will be traded? (or have they already traded one?)
For Rempart watchers, what seems to be his biggest weakness through his first 8 games?
Shy away from physical contacts (particularly on breakouts) and tries passes that are just not there. If he wants to make the NHL, he will definitely needs to correct these.
Oops thought it was only 3 Russian imports they had. Are they going to keep all 6 then, or rotate them 2 a night?
It was a joke.
2 Russians (Kucherov, Grigorenko)
1 Swede (Sorensen)
1 Dane (Sorensen who has double citizenship, Born in Danemark, Lived in Sweden)
1 French (Axel Rioux, Double citizenship Canada-France)
1 Swiss (Pierre-Maxime Poudrier, Double citizenship, Canada-Switzerland)
Since Rioux and Poudrier also have the Canadian citizenship, they're not considered as euros.
Q insider Stéphane Leroux said that Kucherov is the one on his way out of Québec and not Sorensen.
Roy responded to this rumor:
Quote:
"I have not drafted a European (Nikita Kucherov) to trade him after and we will dip into the candy bowl before others, warned Patrick Roy. If at the end, we have to move one, we'll move, but as we speak, Buffalo tells us there is a 50% chance that Grigorenko returns and this is too high a risk for us.
"In addition, a draft pick won't help me, I'm in no hurry. If someone gives me a (player) equivalent, I'll think about it, but I don't think I'll receive the equivalent. "
