Unlike the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t stay quiet at the trade deadline; they made a deal with the Philadelphia Flyers to acquire center Scott Laughton. In return, they sent a 2027 first-round draft pick and 22-year-old winger Nikita Grebenkin.
The young Russian was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 draft and came to Canada this past Summer after playing two more seasons in Russia. He finished his stay in the KHL with a Gargarin Cup with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
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According to an interview he gave to RG.org, Grebenkin’s transition to North American play wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. He couldn’t pierce the Leafs’ line-up and landed in the AHL. Toronto has a roster filled with talent and is not a rebuilding franchise, which makes it more challenging for a young player to get a spot.
He made the headlines with his “backcheck, forecheck, paycheck” declaration. Still, he’s also a talented hockey player who recorded 21 points in 39 games in the AHL and 34 penalty minutes as he adapted to playing on this side of the pond.
In the Flyers organization, Grebenkin hopes Matvei Michkov will win the Calder Trophy over Lane Hutson and other contenders. He’s one of the two players he knows in his new organisation and also someone he’s known since childhood.
After three-quarters of a season in North America, Grebenkin feels he can give advice to Canadiens’s prospect Igor Demidov. According to him, to adapt in North America you:
, “…need to stay positive, smile and be open. You should talk, take pictures, give interviews, and not be shy, no matter your English level.”
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For Grebenkin, it’s about embracing everything about the experience and the transition. Judging by how Demidov did in his interview with the Canadiens, it’s hard to imagine him having trouble fitting in from that standpoint. He’ll take to the attention like a fish to water.
The newly minted member of the Flyers organisation also mentions that confidence is key, like perseverance when facing setbacks, and there’s no need to be afraid of the AHL. However, he jokingly told RG.org that Demidov likely won’t have to worry about that.
When Demidov does come over to this side of the pond, he’ll face some of the challenges his compatriots faced, but not all of them. Demidov’s English already appears to be very good, and he’s even said he’s started trying to learn French, but more importantly, there will be room for him on the team. There’s a chair with his name on it in the Canadiens’ top six, and unless the organization feels he needs some seasoning in the AHL (which would surprise me), he’ll be welcomed with open arms in Martin St-Louis’s lineup.
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