Despite the fact that there’s virtually no mystery as to who the Chicago Blackhawks will take with the first overall pick at the draft at the end of the month, this year’s event is shaping up to be one with quite a bit of intrigue. Teams behind the Blackhawks have to grapple with a significant dilemma: whether to take a leap of faith to draft Russian winger Matvei Michkov. Michkov is widely regarded to be in the conversation as the most talented player in the draft, and he scored 20 points in 27 games in the KHL after being loaned to HK Sochi, an incredibly productive rate for a draft-year player. But his contract situation with SKA St. Petersburg will keep him in the KHL for at least three years, and with the uncertainty regarding NHL-KHL relations, it’s fair to wonder whether Michkov is worth the risk when other talented players are on the board.
The Athletic’s Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine Godin report word from folks at the NHL’s scouting combine in Buffalo who say that Michkov “might be available outside the top-10.”(subscription link) This would mean that each of the teams inside the draft’s top-10 picks opted not to take the risk on Michkov, highlighting just how risky some front offices deem the selection. That being said, given how talented Michkov appears to be, it would also be no shock to see him go well inside the top-1o. But the bottom line based on this reporting is that while we have a very clear sense of where Connor Bedard will be headed, the landing spot of one of the other best talents in this class is anyone’s guess.
Some other notes about the 2023 draft, which will take place in Nashville on June 28th and 29th:
- Basu and Godin got the impression at the combine that it “doesn’t seem very likely” the Canadiens will draft Michkov with the number-five pick should he be on the board. Instead, they feel the team is giving serious consideration to two other top prospects with that pick: polished Austrian defenseman David Reinbacher and versatile American winger Ryan Leonard. Reinbacher is a valuable right-shot blueliner who impressed playing against men in Switzerland’s top pro league, while Leonard is a competitive winger who alongside fellow first-round talents Will Smith and Gabe Perreault shattered U.S. National Team Development Program scoring records.
- The Athletic’s Corey Masisiak reports that the San Jose Sharks have on multiple occasions during the season met with Omaha Lancers netminder Michael Hrabal via a team representative. (subscription link) Hrabal, who was measured at nearly six-foot-seven at the combine, is firmly in the mix to be the first goaltender selected at the draft, and it seems the Sharks could be eyeing him as a potential goalie of the future. The Sharks did not sign 2021 81st overall pick Benjamin Gaudreau to an entry-level contract and may enter this offseason with a priority placed on improving the quality of their goaltending prospect pipeline.