Russian Players don't play big minutes on the 1st pairing defense at age 17 in the KHL. This kid has the potential to be a unicorn. He's 6'7 but skates like he's a winger. Size, mobility, physicality. This is exactly the type of player NJ is desperate for.
Absolutely, averaging 18+ minutes per night in the 2nd best league on a good team speaks a lot about what he brings. I've even seen some people claiming he's faster than Hedman, which takes away my concern about his ability to move with such a large frame. Devils could really use a large shutdown defensive defenseman, and I'm really hoping he'll be able to leave his KHL contract early after next season
He’s the breed of player who is a real shutdown guy and is a nasty thumper. If I am an opposition player I would think carefully about going against him. He is a defensive minded guy
Yeah, and that's exactly the kind of player the Devils need. I'm really hoping he'll pull a Michkov and leave his contract early after next season, I think he's good enough to make an impact in this line up in the 25-26 season.
Absolutely, it's a bummer there's a likely chance he won't be able to join before then as the Devils are in win now mode, but if he continues to develop well in the KHL there's a good chance he'll be a strong 2nd pairing shutdown defenseman for this team
That's my main frustration in that he probably doesn't play for us for another couple of years. I do think that he can be a positive contributor for the Devils in 25-26 if he's able to leave the KHL early like Michkov
His skating is one of his best assets along with his reach.. the scouts say he skates like hes 5’9”.. when he fills out more, this kid is gonna be a truck.. we dont need 6 offensive defenders, as cool as it would be… this kid fills a HUGE need, Luke Nemec Casey isnt pushing people off the crease.. this kid will
I'm really impressed with what I'm reading regarding his skating, I'm no longer concerned about his foot speed with that larger frame. If the Devils can get him to leave his KHL contract early after next season (and I know that that's a big if), he can definitely be an important piece in a potential playoff run
Russian Players don't play big minutes on the 1st pairing defense at age 17 in the KHL. This kid has the potential to be a unicorn. He's 6'7 but skates like he's a winger. Size, mobility, physicality. This is exactly the type of player NJ is desperate for.
Absolutely, averaging 18+ minutes per night in the 2nd best league on a good team speaks a lot about what he brings. I've even seen some people claiming he's faster than Hedman, which takes away my concern about his ability to move with such a large frame. Devils could really use a large shutdown defensive defenseman, and I'm really hoping he'll be able to leave his KHL contract early after next season
He’s back ! LETS GO DEVILS the very first to cover Devils on UA-cam 🐐
He’s the breed of player who is a real shutdown guy and is a nasty thumper. If I am an opposition player I would think carefully about going against him. He is a defensive minded guy
Yeah, and that's exactly the kind of player the Devils need. I'm really hoping he'll pull a Michkov and leave his contract early after next season, I think he's good enough to make an impact in this line up in the 25-26 season.
I love this pick, even if it takes two years to get him to North America. Big guys who are smooth skaters are a rare commodity
Absolutely, it's a bummer there's a likely chance he won't be able to join before then as the Devils are in win now mode, but if he continues to develop well in the KHL there's a good chance he'll be a strong 2nd pairing shutdown defenseman for this team
Who else is tired of talking about futures and wants to take this contention window seriously
That's my main frustration in that he probably doesn't play for us for another couple of years. I do think that he can be a positive contributor for the Devils in 25-26 if he's able to leave the KHL early like Michkov
His skating is one of his best assets along with his reach.. the scouts say he skates like hes 5’9”.. when he fills out more, this kid is gonna be a truck.. we dont need 6 offensive defenders, as cool as it would be… this kid fills a HUGE need, Luke Nemec Casey isnt pushing people off the crease.. this kid will
I'm really impressed with what I'm reading regarding his skating, I'm no longer concerned about his foot speed with that larger frame. If the Devils can get him to leave his KHL contract early after next season (and I know that that's a big if), he can definitely be an important piece in a potential playoff run
His scouting report said he was a better skater than Victor Hedman at the age of 18. Hopefully he’s way more physical than Bahl.