2016 NHL Draft Radar: Artur Kayumov

Photo via Hockey’s Future

The curious case of Artur Kayumov. Some draft rankings have him as high as 14, and some have him as low as 91. Rarely do we see such a massive gap in a player’s projected ranking as much as this. So, what’s up with Kayumov. What is it about him that some people love, and some people hate? Is it the Russian factor? Is it the doping scandal? Let’s take a closer look.

You can’t argue with his numbers. He was the leading scorer on the Russian U18 team, with 31 points in 39 games. Even in his past years, he’s always been around a point per game in any league he’s played in. Could these numbers be inflated by the doping scandal? Potentially, but we won’t know until several years down the road.

As much as I want to say he is, based on his skill, he’s not as much of a fit for the Wings as other prospects. It’s safe to say that left wing is the team’s strongest position in terms of both depth and prospect pool, so there isn’t a necessary need for Kayumov. He might be someone to take a flyer on in with the Wings second round pick, but there is no way they should use a first round pick on him. While the doping scandal is a concern, remember that the whole team did it, so it’s not like we’re dealing with just him, it was management that pressured them to use it. Regardless, he’s a solid option in the 2nd, or if he slides to the 3rd, definitely take him, but I wouldn’t even consider him with the first round pick.