Do the Flames still have a Russian area scout? I remembered they hired one during Feaster's tenure, but haven't heard much. When they drafted Rafikov, they became more aware of him while doing their due diligence on Nichushkin more than anything while having conversations with Igor Kravchuk.
I am actually a little bit surprised that at least a few later round picks haven't been used on some Russians given that the Flames have (had?) someone over there scouting. Maybe they just had other prospects consistently ranked higher.
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