We've been talking about the fact that the 2023 draft is likely to be particularly eventful and unpredictable this year. On the one hand, the great depth of the draft makes it difficult to predict what the first round will look like, especially since some players represent very complex cases to evaluate, including a Russian prospect named Matvei Michkov. The latter, who is perceived as the best Russian talent since Alexander Ovechkin, no less, is the most enigmatic case of the 2023 draft. In a normal situation, with no conflict as we know it, he would most likely be the second player selected on June 28, just behind Connor Bedard. Like the Regina Pats captain, Mishkov is a future generational NHL talent. Apart from the fact that he is a Russian player, another aspect that greatly influences the selection of Mishkov is the fact that he is signed for three years in the KHL. However, in terms of pure talent, it is almost unimaginable to see him slip in the draft as the potential to become one of the next big stars of the National League is so great. In connection with his selection, a bombshell was dropped by Tony Marinaro during his most recent episode of The Sick Podcast, and it involves the Montreal Canadiens. Marinaro reported the comments of renowned journalist Aaron Portzline, who covers the Columbus Blue Jackets for The Athletic. According to Portzline, if Columbus were to select at No. 4, it would appear that their choice would be American Will Smith, a player that the Montreal Canadiens also have in their sights. Portzline also adds that the Habs could very well choose Mishkov, mentioning in passing that Nick Bobrov, the CH's co-director of amateur recruiting, is so interested in the Russian forward that he would call him the Russian Bedard. <q>Aaron Portzline says that, if Columbus does draft fourth overall, they'll draft Will Smith. (Not Matvei Michkov) And if the Canadiens draft next, the Canadiens will draft Matvei Michkov. And he adds that the guy who has a very big word to say about the player the CH will draft in June, Nick Bobrov, loves Mishkov so much he would (behind the scenes) call him the Russian Connor Bedard.</q> What adds a lot of credibility to the fact that Bobrov would be very interested in the Russian prodigy is that he has worked for SKA St. Petersburg in the past, which is the team that holds Mishkov's rights in the KHL, before he was loaned to the Sochi team during the season to get more playing time. At the same time, let's add to this that Bobrov's father is still an active scout for SKA. This means that the Habs may be one of the teams in the NHL that has the most information and evaluation on Mishkov, especially since some of these teams have identified the problem that it is now harder to scout young Russian talent in person. This would be a major turnaround that would be highly beneficial to the Habs. If the organization were to get their hands on a generational talent like Matvei Michkov at the 5th or 6th spot, it would be a big prize for the future of the franchise. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/shaunhashim/status/1649386326012166145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1649386326012166145%7Ctwgr%5E3f86a5ef239da4716e998138ae7206e9b4b6ce12%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.habsetlnh.com%2FCoup-de-theatre-et-developpement-majeur-concernant-Matvei-Michkov-et-le-Canadien-de-Montreal-229414'> </a></blockquote></div> Credit: <a href='https://www.habsetlnh.com/equipe-lnh/canadiens-de-montreal/Coup-de-theatre-et-developpement-majeur-concernant-Matvei-Michkov-et-le-Canadien-de-Montreal' class='link_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>HabsetLNH.com</a>