2023 Draft: the Montreal Canadiens may have made a real steal with the selection of Bogdan Konyushkov

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Elias Edmonson
September 23, 2023 (10:52)

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While the Canadiens' top brass seemed hesitant to select a Russian at the fifth spot, this still didn't prevent the organization from selecting young defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov with the 110th overall pick. Moreover, according to many experts, this pick might quickly turn out to be a real steal for the Canadiens, especially given how dominant he currently is in the KHL.

Indeed, even though he's only 20 years old, the defenseman gets a lot of ice time, playing on Torpedo's first defensive pairing and sometimes clocking in 24 minutes per game. This significant trust surely testifies to his immense skills. Additionally, Konyushkov has shown he can also shine in the offensive zone, gathering five points in eight games since the start of the season.

"Recently, Konyushkov played nearly 24 minutes against Vityaz, making him the most-used player for Torpedo. This speaks volumes about the trust his coach, Igor Larionov, has in him. Konyushkov was also used on the penalty kill and power play, a scenario that fits him perfectly due to his versatility." - Marc Dumont

It's truly impressive to see a defenseman his age performing like this in the world's second-best league. Let's not forget that the Canadiens' scouts mentioned that if Konyushkov had played in the NCAA last season, he would likely have been a second-round pick, a statement that says a lot about his real potential.

Although the season is still young and the sample size is small at the moment, all signs suggest that the organization struck gold by selecting the Russian defenseman. It will be very interesting to follow his progress throughout the year, as he should continue to steadily improve.

One thing's for sure: with Justin Barron increasingly establishing himself as a regular NHL defenseman, and the rise of prospects David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux, the Canadiens could have several highly talented players on the right side of their defensive lineup in a few years.

There's no doubt that the Habs have a bright future ahead, and we are all eagerly waiting to see the team's prospects don the Montreal uniform.