This was, of all things, Shipachyov's first play on the first shift of his first NHL game.
But it wasn't all downhill from here, as we'll see in this shift-by-shift analysis of the Russian's much-discussed 31:46 of overall ice time over three NHL contests.
October 15, 2017
0:01 For Shipachyov, this is a high-motor play to catch Frank Vatrano from behind. He's also able to manhandle the 5'9" Bruin, which is not the norm for the finesse forward.
0:50 The pivot is in good defensive position to intercept the centering pass. The following breakout -- it might be a no-look pass -- either surprises or misses Brendan Leipsic.
1:06 Shipachyov does a fair job staying with David Krejci in the neutral zone, until his Czech counterpart shakes him. Head on a swivel, Shipachyov keeps solid defensive positioning.
1:24 Shipachyov switches on Anders Bjork and takes the puck away from him.
2:46 The 5'10" Ryan Spooner lowers the shoulder on Shipachyov.
4:53 Shipachyov slides a crafty backhand pass from behind the net past Charlie McAvoy and Spooner, off Leipsic's stick.
5:08 Off the faceoff, Shipachyov cuts off the Kevan Miller entry.
5:22 Through a forechecking Vatrano's legs, Shipachyov tosses a perfect breakout pass to Alex Tuch.
7:12 Shipachyov makes Brandon Carlo look really bad and is in position for a decent shot from the left circle, but inexplicably, opts for a drop pass which is intercepted by Sean Kuraly.
Ironically, Tuch chases down Kuraly, turns back with the puck, shoots and scores.
7:30 Shipachyov scores, but it's Tuch who does all the heavy lifting. The pivot has a penchant for hanging in the weeds.
7:49 Shipachyov is put in a tough position by the pass, but nursing a late two-goal lead, I suspect Gallant would prefer that the forward focus on getting it in deep, instead of a risky dipsy doodle through the Bruin standing up on the blueline.
8:45 Tuch and Shipachyov nearly force a Boston turnover with good sticks and positioning
October 17, 2017
0:22 As Tuch battles a herd of Sabres for the puck, Shipachyov once again hangs in the weeds.
0:35 Shipachyov pushes Tuch with his stick to give his winger more momentum for a quicker change.
1:19 Shipachyov draws four Sabres toward him before passing to Leipsic coming down the wing. The Russian's patience opens up space and time for Leipsic, but Johan Larsson sticks it away.
1:30 Shipachyov was credited with one hit in his NHL career. This might have been it.
2:25 Shipachyov anticipates the rimaround. But then, he throws the puck back to nobody in particular, which pins Vegas down. Leipsic is eventually able to break things up.
4:48 Midway through his second NHL game, Shipachyov finally gets some power play time. NHL.com states that the playmaker received PP time against Boston, but they're wrong, as I'll demonstrate later.
5:03 Shipachyov has his eyes on William Karlsson across the rink, but can't complete the highlight pass. He then loses the puck battle with Jake McCabe behind the net.
5:10 Tuch forces a turnover at center ice, but Shipachyov, who is closest to retrieving the loose puck, peels off for whatever reason. Perhaps he expected Tuch to claim it or missed the play.
6:01 Pinned down, Shipachyov makes a brilliant clear, bouncing the puck off the boards to slow its momentum and negate an icing.
7:30 On a dangerous rush, Shipachyov's one-timed pass just eludes Tuch.
8:08 It looks like it's Shipachyov's stick which pokes away the puck from a hard-charging Larsson. He then feeds it to Tuch going the other way.
8:47 Shipachyov gamely tries to wrest the puck away from 6'3" Justin Bailey with predictable results.
9:12 Shipachyov, along with a battalion of Knights, converge on Bailey, who wants the middle of the ice. Ryan O'Reilly, however, stands free off to the side of the net. While Shipachyov and James Neal are able to harass Bailey and prevent an O'Reilly tap-in, perhaps Shipachyov should have stayed with his Buffalo counterpart.
October 21, 2017
0:00 Shipachyov finally gets promoted to the top power play unit.
0:10 He sets up Leipsic in the high slot for a one-timer, but it's fanned.
0:30 Off a drop pass from Nate Schmidt, Shipachyov gains the zone. He expertly draws the entire PK toward him, then passes through Kyle Brodziak's legs, connecting with David Perron. Perron has more time and space because of Shipachyov's patience.
1:09 Shipachyov's defensive positioning and stick cut off a St. Louis breakout
1:50 Shipachyov takes a slashing penalty.
2:00 Textbook work by Shipachyov to angle Brayden Schenn, who's breaking out with the puck, into Tomas Nosek. This forces a neutral zone turnover.
2:43 Shipachyov appears to have a split second to clear up the boards, but it looks like a Blues stick gets in the way. Vegas remains pinned in its zone.
4:22 Nonchalant breakout pass by Shipachyov is almost turned over in the slot. The Russian recovers and stickhandles through Oskar Sundqvist before getting it in deep.
Summary
And just like that, it's over.
Shipachyov has chosen voluntary retirement from the NHL -- Vegas will retain his NHL rights until he's 35. In exchange, the Golden Knights will terminate the pivot's contract, so he can return immediately to the KHL.
Strictly evaluating the tape -- beyond poor practice habits, cultural challenges, and on-ice adjustments -- it's a shame.
Shipachyov is clearly a cerebral player, offensively and defensively. While the tape doesn't showcase much sparklingly brilliant, there were a ton of small plays which suggested something big was coming.
However, the tape also demonstrates why Shipachyov's style wasn't the ideal fit with Gerard Gallant's, which Viasat's Antti Mäkinen called a month ago. Guy Boucher called the Golden Knights "relentless" -- and there's little of that in this Russian chessmaster's game.
Shipachyov is calculating. He also isn't high-motor. He looks offense first, doesn't invite contact, and isn't the strongest on the puck.
Some might suggest then that he doesn't work hard on the ice. I disagree.
There isn't just one way to win hockey games. Gallant's works. Shipachyov's works.
But perhaps not so easily together.
Anyway, both Vegas and Shipachyov botched what was supposed to be a triumphant introduction to the best league in the world.
Just guessing, but when the KHL star signed, I doubt George McPhee intimated that a minor league demotion or two might happen along the way. Perhaps Shipachyov and his representation didn't ask, but they probably feel deceived.
In other cities and situations, he would've received a lot more than three games and limited power play time. I can't stress this enough: If you're not putting Shipachyov out on the PP, you're not putting him in a position to succeed.
Shipachyov was given just 2:21 on the man advantage over two contests. For what it's worth, the Knights were "humming" at a 5.9 % power play success rate before his debut.
Obviously, just waiving Griffin Reinhart or Jason Garrison or anybody else before opening night would've saved everybody a lot of headaches.
As for Shipachyov, there were legitimate concerns about his focus and commitment.
Shipachyov also did himself no favors when he refused his last AHL assignment.
While I agree that he should've never been sent down in the first place, he would've at least retained some trade value if he had played ball. Leaving town without approval before his scheduled AHL debut signaled zero interest on his part to play in the NHL with anybody. What NHL organization is going to take on a two-year contract with an unproven malcontent?
So while I understand the temptation of the KHL for Shipachyov -- cultural familiarity, superstardom, participating in the Olympics, and so on -- it's a shame that he didn't stick it out. Many, including myself, still believe he's more than NHL-worthy, but I guess we'll never know.
***
NHL.com's Time on Ice report has Shipachyov on the power play from 16:49-16:11 of the first period of the Boston tilt. This is incorrect, as we can gather from these captures:
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