The Calgary Flames are all but out of the playoff race, sitting 16 points out of the final Wild Card spot with just 10 games remaining and a bunch of teams to jump.
As it stands, the Flames have a 6% chance of winning the National Hockey League lottery if the season ended today according to Tankathon. However, they would have a 54.4% chance of remaining at the eighth-overall pick, and a 30% chance of dropping down to the ninth-overall pick.
Let’s take a look at a very interesting left-shot defenceman that may be available for the Flames if they were to pick around the eighth-overall pick.
Anton Silayev scouting report and profile
Left-shot defenceman; born April 11, 2006 in Sarov, Russia; 6’7”, 211 lbs
The thing that immediately stands out about Silayev is the fact he stands at 6’7”, 211 pounds. However, he isn’t some big lumbering defenceman, as he scored three goals and 11 points in 63 games in the Kontinental Hockey League as a 17-year-old, an incredibly impressive rookie season.
In terms of where he ranks among publication’s top available draft prospects, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has him as the eighth-best draft prospect available. However, he ranks as high as the second-best draft prospect according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie and as low as the 17th-best draft prospect according to Smaht Scouting. Silayev’s consolidated ranking according to Elite Prospects is seventh.
So, what’s to like about the big left-shot defenceman? Well, Wheeler notes that the 6’7” defenceman is “an excellent skater” that can move the puck up the ice and use that speed defensively. It’s also worth mentioning that despite the most under-18 points in KHL history, he isn’t even close to reaching his potential.
Bob McKenzie quoted a scout who said he has a little bit of Zdeno Chára and Chris Pronger in him, but isn’t as intimidating as Chára or offensively gifted as Pronger. There’s also the fact that he eats minutes against significantly older KHL talent.
As for what he needs to work on, the decision making isn’t there just yet, his shot power is still not as heavy as it could be when he fills out his frame, and he could use his size better. There’s also the “Russian Factor,” as it’s hard to tell if a Russian player has any interest in moving across the pond.
The Flames have shown interest in acquiring big, Russian defencemen in recent times. At the trade deadline, they acquired 26-year-old Daniil Miromanov, who stands at 6’4”, 202 lbs, as well as Artem Grushnikov, who stands at 6’1”, 198 lbs. Could Silayev be the next big, Russian defenceman they draft?
More must-reads: