There were a lot of new faces at the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]’ development camp last week, starting with the prospect drafted at the end of June, but there was also one Russian prospect who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 draft: Bogdan Konyushkov. The 22-year-old right-shot defenseman is not overly large, standing at six feet and weighing 171 pounds, but he has already played three full seasons in the KHL and has plenty of experience under his belt. NHL.com Projected USA Olympics Roster: Which Canadiens’ Player Is Missing? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/nhl-com-projected-usa-olympics-roster-which-canadiens-player-is-missing] Canadiens: Cole Caufield Lost More Than a Teammate [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-cole-caufield-lost-more-than-a-teammate] Canadiens: Struble Elects Arbitration [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-struble-elects-arbitration] In the season following his selection by the Canadiens, he was named captain of Torpedo Nizhny by former NHL player and coach Igor Larionov and put up 28 points in 65 games. That offensive production diminished in the most recent season to 17 points in 67 games. Asked how come at camp, Konyushkov replied through prospect Arseni Radkov, who acted as his interpreter, that when his team doesn’t play as well and scores less, players produce less as well. He showed a lot of poise and leadership throughout the development camp, which prompted Rob Ramage to say: > He speaks a little bit of English, so it was impressive when he was speaking > to the other Russians on the ice and he was helping to explain what the drills > were. […] So he’s a very mature young man. He was a captain two years ago, the > youngest captain in the KHL, so he carries himself like a pro. I believe he’s > going back this year, and we’ll see what happens next year. It would be nice > to get him over. - Rob Ramage on Bogdan Konyushkov The youngster has one year left on his contract with Torpedo and will be playing under a new coach, Alexei Isakov, since Larionov was dismissed after his team’s first-round exit. Konyushkov doesn’t know what the future holds after that; he wants to focus on the next season, and after that, he will figure it out. The organization would like to see him come over. He didn’t stand out to me during development camp, but that’s not a bad thing; he’s not a flashy defenseman, and he plays an efficient game that doesn’t necessarily catch the eye. Still, in the scrimmage, he joined the rush whenever possible, and he showed he was a mobile defenseman. I don’t see him becoming a top-pairing defenseman in the NHL, but the Canadiens could use a real right-shot defenseman on their bottom pairing, which would finally give them balanced pairings. For now, Noah Dobson and Alexandre Carrier are the two right-shot pairings, and eventually, David Reinbacher will be joining them, leaving Carrier with a lesser role. At 28 years old, he has two years left on his three-year contract with a $3.75 million cap hit before becoming a UFA. While the salary cap is increasing, Kent Hughes might eventually want to spend less on his bottom pairing. If Carrier’s salary demands are too high, it would be ideal to be able to slot Konyushkov in. By then, he would have four years of KHL experience and, providing he signs with the Canadiens after that, one year of pro North American hockey under his belt. If he’s ready, he will be a much cheaper option for the Habs. It will be worth keeping an eye on him during the upcoming season, if only to see if the Canadiens do offer him a contract. Currently, the Habs' depth chart on the right includes the above-mentioned Dobson, Carrier, and Reinbacher, in addition to the two recent AHL signings, Nate Clurman and Wyatte Wylie. When it comes to unsigned prospects, I believe Konyushkov comes first, in front of Bryce Pickford, Carlos Handel, Dimitri Kostenko, Daniil Sobolev, and Andrew MacNiel. Photo credit: Ariane Bergeron/Club de Hockey Canadiens Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwo-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen], never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News.
