Former NHL scout buries Matvei Michkov once again.
A former NHL scout has not been shy in his criticisms of the Flyers first round draft pick.
Last week I brought you a report in which a former National Hockey League scout was quite critical of Philadelphia Flyers first round pick Matvei Michkov.
That former scout, former Montreal Canadiens scout Grant McCagg, let it be known at the time that he felt Michkov could turn into a big time bust.
"I honestly think he could be the next Yakupov," said McCagg at the time. "He doesn't blow me away... he's not super fast, he's not big, I wouldn't call him a gritty player. He's gonna have problems dealing with the NHL, in the playoffs especially."
Well if you thought McCagg was going to be backing down from that opinion you would be mistaken, and in fact it seems he has been keeping a close eye on the Flyers prospect. On Friday night, McCagg once again took to social media to criticize the young Russian forward, although this time it would be fair to suggest that at least part of that criticism was also directed at his current team, SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League.
McCagg pointed out that Michkov's play was earning him relatively little ice time on one of the top team`s in the KHL, noting that a particularly bad turnover had made an already bad situation even worse for the young forward.
"Michkov played fewer than 8 minutes two games ago, and fewer than five minutes last game, including just one shift in the second period after this turnover," said McCagg on Friday. "He is not dressed for today's game. Having little control over development was one of the risks in drafting him."
McCagg's comments last week caused quite a stir and it could very well be that the former scout is now looking to prove that he was right in his prediction about the 18 year old Russian forward. Either way this certainly has to be a cause for concern if you're the Philadelphia Flyers, although at such a young age there is still plenty of time for Michkov to develop.
