Sabres Sign Defenseman Nikita Novikov to 3 Year ELC

[GASabresIUFAN]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Let's say non 1st or 2nd rounder. JJP has been this boards darling for quite some time. 

I had a solid 1st rd grade on JJP and was honestly surprised he lasted so long.  I don’t think of him as a 2nd rd pick, but yes Neuchev is the most anticipated 3rd rd or later pick, maybe since Baptiste.  Hopefully, he'll fare better than Nick did. (Nick is doing well in Europe).

Edited May 23, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[LGR4GM]

This is from 2 years ago but Novikov is 74 in white. He needs to increase his foot speed and agility. I have seen very little of him since his draft but I think he is more physical than Samuelsson. 

s to

[JustOneParade]

21 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

This is from 2 years ago but Novikov is 74 in white. He needs to increase his foot speed and agility. I have seen very little of him since his draft but I think he is more physical than Samuelsson. 

s to

If I remember correctly, wasn't that what was said about Mule at the same stage? So there's hope. Can these be traits be enhanced by dedicated training?

[RochesterExpat]

Novikov's skating is vastly improved. It's partly why he was getting increased roles in the KHL. He should have no issues keeping up with the speed of the game in North America.

[LGR4GM]

19 minutes ago, JustOneParade said:

If I remember correctly, wasn't that what was said about Mule at the same stage? So there's hope. Can these be traits be enhanced by dedicated training?

Yes, Hedman actually spent several years after he reached the NHL improving his agility and short area quickness. I see no reason why Novikov needs to worry. Samuelsson for example still needs to work on his footspeed but its NHL average so he is fine most nights. 

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

How many of those were "didn't want to be here" vs. "Kevyn was turning over the culture"?  I think Eichel, Reino and Risto were the latter.  Ullmark is really the only one in the first group for sure.  Montour.... probably the same thing and Ullmark... he was going to walk anyway so get what you can.

Could be that the market wasn't there for Montour... either because his value was hurt by the Krueger stank, or because there were other more attractive trade targets.

All five of them were in the don’t want to be here category.  Eichel, Reino, Risto were in both categories,  they did not want to stay and Adams needed to turn the culture around, meaning they go.  These three were big influences on the culture, and like it or not, they were not at that point in their careers the type of leaders to help do it.   They all had enough of the circus that became the Buffalo Sabres.   Can’t blame them, but I am not going to defend them either.   

Adam’s traveled with the team, he saw what was happening and being a former player he knew the team needed a big makeover.   Adam’s talked to all of them and was open with them, which players will always appreciate.  
 

If Montour would have said “Kevyn I want to be here to help turn this around” there is no way he gets traded for a paltry 3rd rounder.  We did not get enough for Montour, especially at the trade deadline, but we got a lot for Risto.  Trades don’t always work our perfectly.  

[French Collection]

I met a Russian kid that has played with Novikov. He said that when he is on the ice, you feel safe. He clarified his response to say you knew you were not going to get scored on and the puck was coming out of your end.

This guy also knew Kisakov and said he wasn’t the type to handle the physical play of pro hockey. He said he was highly skilled though.

Poltapov is a guy he was high on. He said he was a physical presence with a nose for the net.

Neuchev was a guy he didn’t know, he never played with or against him.

[Doohicksie]

4 minutes ago, French Collection said:

I met a Russian kid that has played with Novikov. He said that when he is on the ice, you feel safe. He clarified his response to say you knew you were not going to get scored on and the puck was coming out of your end.

This guy also knew Kisakov and said he wasn’t the type to handle the physical play of pro hockey. He said he was highly skilled though.

Poltapov is a guy he was high on. He said he was a physical presence with a nose for the net.

Neuchev was a guy he didn’t know, he never played with or against him.

Moscow Mule sounds like an apt description for Novikov.

(Sounds like a style similar to Muel.)

[DarthEbriate]

52 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Moscow Mule sounds like an apt description for Novikov.

In Russia, they describe Samuelsson as the "Voorhees Township Novi".