Impact of Russian passport ban on New Jersey Devils hockey operations

If you normally use sports to escape from everyday life, this article is not for you. James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now posted a topical article about Russian players' home country passport issue. This could seriously hurt the prospects of the New Jersey Devils, especially those currently playing in North America.

As many prospect analysts know, this is a huge variable that negatively impacts the entire NHL talent pool. Even if the suspension only lasts one year, it probably won't hurt a player like Arseniy Grichuk as he still has one year left on his KHL contract. However, if the suspension is to last for five to 10 years, the NHL would have to step in and give all 32 teams with Russian players free space to sign other prospects or players on their roster. . That could narrow the pool of prospects for the Devils and other teams.

Daniil Orlov and Artyom Baraboshya are still young players and developing their games, so a five-year suspension won't have a negative impact on the Devils' prospects. If something as severe as a 10-year ban is to be imposed, Commissioner Gary Bettman should intervene. There are five Russian candidates, one of whom is Daniil Mishl, who is from Belarus and holds a Russian passport. Recently drafted Belarusian prospect Daniil Karpovic has more potential as a young defenseman similar to former Devils prospect Shakir Muhammadulin. Karpovich should not face a possible ban, as Belarusian rebels recently blocked the banning of Belarusian passports.

If the Devils are unable to obtain the services of all five Russian passport holders, the NHL should award five NHL draft picks based on where each player was drafted in that round. Arseni Gritsyk was a fifth-round pick, Daniil Orlov was a fourth-round pick, Egor Zaitsev was a seventh-round pick, Daniil Mysl was a third-round pick, and Artyom Barabosha was also a seventh-round pick. The Devils have found a wealth of talent and skill, but the problem is that geopolitics gets in the way of maintaining that pipeline should a ban occur in the short and long term. These picks should be spread out wherever the Devils need them next season or long term.

However, it gets harder. A team like the Philadelphia Flyers, who just drafted Matvey Mitchkov with a top-10 pick, would likely want a similar return.

There are two very popular Russian players: Ivan Demidov and Anton Silaev. Both were top 5 and top 10 picks on my draft board before this potential passport ban. However, if the ban were to go into effect, there would be zero Russians who could be drafted through seven rounds by all 32 teams. In that case, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be wasting its nomination rights in the hope that the ban would be raised if it were to go into effect. This political power play is no joke and could harm the many teams that feature NHL players with Russian passports.

This could force players like Nikita Zadorov to return home, leaving them unable to get through the iron-fisted loophole of Russia's passport ban. Matvey Gridin, one of North America's top skaters, is a Russian citizen and could be forced to make a similar decision, as he is committed to the University of Michigan. Igor Shravin and Matvei Shravin were also hit hard by suspensions that negatively affected their NHL futures.

Mikhail Egorov is a goaltender who was on the team with Devils prospect Chase Cheslock (before graduating to NCAA hockey). There are many positive aspects to Egorov's game, as he is listed as North America's number one goaltender from Russia for the USHL's Omaha Lancers. He's on my goaltender watch list for these types of games, and while he'll take some time to develop his rebounding control, he's good at commanding games on an underdog Lancers team. Egorov is committed to playing at Boston University, and Devils scouts will likely keep an eye on him in the college ranks if he can stay in the U.S. long enough.

At the NHL free agency level, Vladimir Tarasenko, Nikita Zaitsev, Nikita Zadorov, Ilya Samsonov, Ilya Lyubushkin, Alexander Barabanov and Yakov Trenin are just a few of the Russian players with UFA status this summer. Only. There are a lot of moving parts in this conflict with Russia that will jeopardize what the Devils and NHL could do towards the NHL Draft, development and signing of Russian UFA candidates.

In summary, the ban only affects players already I'm playing in North America (or other European countries). A player like Gritsyuk can choose to renew his passport now so it is valid for 10 years. Players currently in Russia should be able to obtain passports and play in North America without any problems, but it's a slippery slope. The Russian government also strongly denies this approach. The NHL has already suspended the NHL-KHL agreement following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which many believe makes it already difficult to sign Russian players. If this becomes a reality, it will only become more difficult.

See more of Joe's scouting work in Draft Pro Hockey.