NHL 2016 DRAFT RADAR: YEGOR KORSHKOV

Whether it’s 1989 or 2016, the Wings have historically loved Russian players. Yegor Korshkov, the 6’3″ winger of both Russian and Kazakhstani descent has turned some heads as a 19 year-old having already played two years of pro in the KHL. There’s only one hiccup, the same hiccup that saw him go undrafted the last two years when he was also eligible; he’s under contract in the KHL until 2018. 

He managed to really impress at the last World Junior Championship with 8 points in 7 games, tying Russian heavyweight and future Flyer Ivan Provorov for the team lead. While his time in the KHL doesn’t exactly wow on paper, that’s not too bad for a kid on a team that hasn’t been all that good during his tenure there. We see when up against competition his own age, the kid impresses. That’s why the scouts have him slated as the 7th best European skater this year. 

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet because I think the answers here are pretty easy for this guy. Most likely we’re seeing a player who doesn’t come to the NHL until after his 2018 KHL contract has expired. By that time he’ll be a UFA, can sign with whichever team he chooses, and make some real cash bypassing the whole entry-level-contract business. Does a team potentially make a play for his rights deep in the draft? Someone may be tempted after that WJC he had but even still, he seems set on fulfilling his contractual obligations in his Motherland. Make no mistake, this kid will be in the NHL. Like the two drafts before this, the draft next week just doesn’t seem to be his entry point.