Since taking over as the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Steve Yzerman hasn’t been afraid to take calculated risks when it comes to drafting. Having selected injured players like Brett Connolly and Slater Koekkoek with high picks in 2010 and 2012 respectively, Yzerman has shown a slight penchant for straying away from what some experts might classify as safe picks. With the 2013 draft right around the corner and the Lightning holding the third overall pick, questions about who the team will select are already popping up.
For nearly the last calendar year, hockey fans have been told that Seth Jones, Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin will be the top three picks in this year’s draft. Since the end of the season, not a day has gone by without someone drooling at the possibility of Drouin lining up beside Steven Stamkos, Jones slotting in with Victor Hedman, or MacKinnon solidifying the team’s second line for years to come. However, the rumor mill has been buzzing over the last couple of days with reports indicating that the Lightning really like and have interest in Valeri Nichushkin.
If you’re not already aware, Nichushkin is a massive winger from Russia with hands that are as scary as his size. Standing at six-foot-four and over two hundred pounds, he has a frame that is more than NHL ready. Add to that size his skill level, which scouts have praised all year long, and he begins to look like a very attractive option in the number three slot.
While a lot of people will immediately laugh off the notion that the Lightning might stray away from either MacKinnon or Drouin, a few things should be considered. First of all, neither one of those players is overly big. That’s hardly a bad thing, but the reality is that the Lightning have a bushel of undersized prospects. Obviously players like Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon would be the class of the Lightning’s prospect pipeline, but adding a player with a comparable skill level and more size doesn’t sound all that bad. Simply put – the Lightning don’t have a player of Nichushkin’s pedigree anywhere in their system. Imagine, for a moment, a top line that consists of Nichushkin’s hands, Steven Stamkos’ shot, and Brett Connolly’s complete two-way game. To be blunt – any team in the league would have its hands full dealing with that trio.
With a complete game full of skill, size, and a certain star-like quality, it’s really hard not to like Nichushkin. Regardless of what team lands him at this summer’s draft, he’s got a very bright future ahead of him. Based on reports that came out earlier this week, indicating that Nichushkin is ready and wanting to play in North America next season, it sounds like that future will be in the National Hockey League. Another exciting sign regarding this young player is the fact that he has consistently moved up scouts’ rankings. Earlier this year, he was projected to go outside the top ten; now we’re talking about him as a potential top three pick. Steven Campo of
MyNHLDraft.com summed up his game quite nicely back in December, long before many people took note of his play.
A strong-bodied center forward who is not afraid to get into the dirty areas to create scoring chances. Upsides include great skating ability, very good balance on his skates allow him to utilize his full skating potential and his star-quality vision of his surroundings allow him locate teammates with precision passing accuracy. Not many downsides to his game but shot accuracy could be improved.
At the end of the day, Al Murray and Steve Yzerman are going to have a bevy of talent to choose from when they head up on stage to make the third overall selection. While common sense might indicate that the Bolts will stay safe and choose one of Jones, MacKinnon, or Drouin, it might behoove Bolts Nation to keep its eye on Valeri Nichushkin. After all,
Al Murray’s piece on the team’s website has listed Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin as comparable players. If that doesn’t indicate that the team likes him, what does?
As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»