This guy dominates every level he plays at...He's the franchise player that the Flames need.
Double standard much? If MacKinnon, Drouin and Barkov aren't guaranteed franchise players then why are you calling Nichuskin a franchise player? You make it sound like the riskiest one of the bunch is the most sure-fire of the bunch.
He definitely has a big upside. But you seem to be ignoring/minimizing the risk factor.
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This guy dominates every level he plays at...He's the franchise player that the Flames need.
I think him not coming over to NHL is really overblown.
For every Radulov, there is Ovechkin, Malkin, Tarasenko.
I could be wrong but i don't think any of the 3 in bold had a 2 year contract with a KHL team when drafted. If Nichushkin plays well in those 2 years, you can bet your left nut that the KHL will offer him big bucks to re-sign before his contract is up.
If the Flames are picking at #7 or worse, and he is available, they should take the risk.
Elite potential is too high to pass up. You just have to wait 2 years to get him on the team. The guy is a legitimate talent. Risky? Yes. But I would sooner the Flames draft the best available player, and this guy is arguably right up there with Drouin and MacKinnon. Safer bets would be Lindholm and Monahan, but once they are gone, he is simply too enticing to pass up, and worth the risk.
Besides, what elite Russians don't come over? Radulov? Kuznetsov is apparently 'for sure' coming over. He stayed just to assure himself a position for the Olympics. No need to rush him in anyways. Hopefully by the time he comes over, Jankowski will be joining the team as well. How nice would that combo be? 2 BIG men with dazzling skill on the same line.
The only way he moves down to 10th is if teams require defencemen - Nurse, Pulock and Ristolainen. You have to get EXTREMELY lucky to be able to select a franchise player outside the top 10, even in a deep draft like this. Franchise players (at any position and from any country) is what this team needs desperately, and what a successful rebuild SHOULD be about.
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I could be wrong but i don't think any of the 3 in bold had a 2 year contract with a KHL team when drafted. If Nichushkin plays well in those 2 years, you can bet your left nut that the KHL will offer him big bucks to re-sign before his contract is up.
Actually Malkin was involved in a big contract dispute before coming to the NHL.
From his wiki page
"However, a transfer dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) delayed his Pittsburgh debut. On August 7, 2006, it appeared that the 20-year-old Malkin had come to a compromise with Metallurg and signed a deal that would have kept him in Russia until May 2007. However, Malkin stated that he signed the one-year contract not as a compromise but because of the immense "psychological pressure" his former club exerted on him.[citation needed] Desiring to play in the NHL, he left Metallurg Magnitogorsk's training camp in Helsinki, Finland, before it had started on August 12. It would later appear that the team had taken Malkin's passport away to prevent him from leaving, but it was eventually given back to him and Malkin was allowed to pass through Finnish customs. Meeting with his agent, J. P. Barry, the two quickly departed and waited for Malkin's visa clearance from the US Embassy.
In order to legally leave the team, on August 15, Malkin invoked, by fax, a provision of Russian labor law that allowed him to cancel his one-year contract by giving his employer two weeks notice.[6] Having untied himself of obligations in Russia, he was able to sign an entry-level contract with the Penguins on September 5, 2006.[7]"
Best case scenario is that every team gets the jitters on Nichushkin and he drops to the St.Louis pick. Wherever that pick is you simply could not pass him up in the middle of the first round.
That being said, the odds of him falling to the St.Louis pick are about one in say a million?
I like him more than Drouin when it comes to picking wingers. Drouin has mad skills but I see a player that could absolutely take over a game in Nichushkin. The will to dominate is strong in this Nichushkin.
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Someone mentioned this in another thread, but the interviews at the NHL combine will set Nishuchkin up for where he is drafted. If teams think that he'll come over then he'll be top 5. If he starts giving shifty answers, he'll go mid 1st.
People say you take the best player and don't draft for position because you don't know what your needs will be in a few years.
The thing is if the draft works out the way we want, we won't be drafting a player that needs a few years of developing. He'll be ready this fall or in the next season after at least, so we should draft what we need, either a centre (first choice) or a defenceman.
I understand that there is a thread about prospects but I feel a thread focused just on Nichushkin is needed as not many ppl know about him.
I think he might end up being the best forward out of this draft.
6'4" 202 pounds according to ISS. Even with the Russian factor, the Flames would be very fortunate to draft this guy. Next Malkin/Ovechkin potential.
That clip is pretty impressive! It's rare for a guy that size to have the speed to completely clear a defender that had good positioning on him. Bit of a howler by Subban...
If we ended up picking him you can bet your bottom dollar the Flames would have had lengthy interviews with him before hand & there would assurances he would come over. Safe to say Feaster's job isn't exactly secure, and his future going forward probably hinges on this draft. He won't take another silly risk without doing due diligence.
This guy will be the draft wildcard that could go anywhere in the top 10, or even drop down a few spots.
ISS has him at #2; the best forward in the draft. Any other mock drafts or scouting reports have him in the 5-8 range; all citing the uncertainty over his KHL future as the only reason he's not top 2.
On draft day the Nichushkin Factor is going to determine so many aspects of the draft. It will influence which prospect falls to us, especially if we end up picking in that 5-8 range. If someone takes him early it means a Barkov, Mackinnon or Drouin could fall as low as #5. If he's still on the board some teams with assets to burn might be keen to move up to take him, possibly offering us a good package to move down in the draft. If all the top 7 picks are gone by the time we pick do we take the risk and pick him? If we get a decent player with our earlier pick, but he falls to the St Louis pick does the risk seem less pronounced?
I would pick him in the following scenarios:
->We end up picking #8 & all of Jones, Mackinnon, Drouin, Barkov, Monahan, Lindholm & Nurse are taken. I might be tempted to select him ahead of Nurse as well.
->We get one of the aforementioned big 7 prospects & he drops to the St Louis pick. The risk is nullified by the acquisition of a low-risk player with the earlier pick. Makes the gamble less of a disaster by having one good player already in the bag.
->We can come to some agreement, pre-draft, with his Russian club & him & bring him over right away. Even still I think I would prefer Mackinnon, Barkov & maybe Lindholm.
The only reason why Nichushkin is not projected no.1 this year is IMHO the russian factor.
notable timestamps:
1:22 - fantastic setup
2:28 - one man show
3:12 - huge hit in KHL from 17-year old
3:22 - nothing special at the first glance but this is totally Jagr-like puck control and shot
It's hard to tell whether he played LW in all those games as I see him flying around everywhere.
If we could somehow get both Monahan and Nichushkin - that would be a combo you can built your team around. Big canadian two-way centre with leadership abilities + big flying superskilled russian => that is exactly what every GM wants in the 1st line.
Nichushkin sure does love to drive the net. Like I said, if in the interviews he seems like he'll come over then I would love the Flames to pick him, even over MacKinnon.
The only factor is him being Russian and that 2 year KHL contract or he'd be top 2. Guy is insane.
The only reason why Nichushkin is not projected no.1 this year is IMHO the russian factor.
notable timestamps:
1:22 - fantastic setup
2:28 - one man show
3:12 - huge hit in KHL from 17-year old
3:22 - nothing special at the first glance but this is totally Jagr-like puck control and shot
It's hard to tell whether he played LW in all those games as I see him flying around everywhere.
If we could somehow get both Monahan and Nichushkin - that would be a combo you can built your team around. Big canadian two-way centre with leadership abilities + big flying superskilled russian => that is exactly what every GM wants in the 1st line.
I've seen him listed as RW some places, and in most of those highlights he is making plays from the right side of the offensive zone. A lot of Russian players (Ovechkin for example) play either wing with equal abilities.
Nichushkin reminds me of Malkin in stature. His skating stride is a bit lower-centre-of-gravity. He looks a bit faster too. Looks like a true power forward with skill and size. I likey.
doubt he goes before Monahan but maybe before Lindholm
I think he probably goes in the 7-9 range along with Nurse and Risto, with the order depending on which teams are drafting (Philly would probably go for Nurse, for instance)
NO WAY you risk a top 5 pick on him if you're the Flames. Maybe other teams with deeper prospect pools and/or specific needs might, but I don't see the Flames doing it.
THe dream would be getting him with the second pick, which was my hope a month ago when he was projected more in the middle of the first round. But his stock has risen too much now - I don't see it happening.
One possible scenario would be if he falls into the 8-9 range, and at that point looks like the obvious pick, but the team drafting wants no part of him (Columbus with the Rangers pick?). Maybe at that point the Flames could pull a trade and grab him.
Nichushkin sure does love to drive the net. Like I said, if in the interviews he seems like he'll come over then I would love the Flames to pick him, even over MacKinnon.
The only factor is him being Russian and that 2 year KHL contract or he'd be top 2. Guy is insane.
For clarification, the contract is going forward two years or was this season included in the contract?
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