Ah, how can we forget good ol’ Vladimir Tkachev! Back in September, “Vladdy Hockey” was the new fan craze in Edmonton, and for good reason. Here we had a tiny, Vladimir clocks in at 5’10” and 154lbs, scoring forward trying out for a spot on a team that already employed their fair share of tiny scoring forwards. No way did anyone think this guy was going to be of any significance to the Edmonton Oilers moving forward. Then, lo and behold, he managed to shock an entire fan base and the media that surrounded that fan base. All of a sudden, Vladimir Tkachev was tearing up the NHL preseason for the Edmonton Oilers and fans were pouring in their support in signing him to an entry-level deal. Things picked up and before you knew it, Tkachev was officially apart of the Edmonton Oilers organization. This underdog story unfortunately came to a screeching halt as Tkachev’s Oilers career was over not even 24 hours after it had began. It seems as though Craig MacTavish and Co. missed a crucial part in the rulebook that states that you cannot sign a player that hasn’t played a FULL season in North America. So just like that, a seemingly genius find for the Edmonton Oilers turned into an embarrassing turn of events that made management look dumber than they maybe already have been perceived. Now that the fall has turned to spring, the Oilers are now in a position to reopen the Vladimir Tkachev files as he slated to be draft eligible this June. However, the question now isn’t “when do they pick him” rather that it has turned into a debate about whether the Oilers should even draft him at all?
The Oilers are a noticeably different looking team than they were way back in September. More so off the ice than on. The management team that initially brought in Vladimir has now been almost completely replaced since then. Bob Nicholson was promoted, Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish were subsequently moved aside in favour of Pete Chiarelli, and the bench is now being headed by a proven coach in Todd McLellan. These have been massive moves for the organization and because of these moves, the Edmonton Oiler love that the old management gave to the budding 19-year-old may not be there anymore with the new guys in charge. The one thing that stands out in regard to this notion is the philosophy of hockey that Peter Chiarelli likes to play. PC is well-known for putting together hard-hitting and powerful clubs, as seen in his time managing the Boston Bruins. Tkachev doesn’t really fit into that description at all with his aforementioned small stature. I find it hard to come up with the idea that Chiarelli would be really interested in a player like Vlad, just because of the way he is physically. With being said, I should mention that the guy that brought in Vladimir isn’t fully gone. Craig MacTavish, though being replaced in his general manager role, still very much has a say in what the Edmonton Oilers do. He no longer has the definitive final say but, he has been repositioned to a spot that Chiarelli describes as being his “number two”, which I interpret as saying that MacT is going to be an assistant GM. Tkachev fever may still hold some ground in the upper offices of the Oilers brass, but a change in culture may have jeopardized that.
Ok, so maybe new management isn’t as transfixed on the young Russian than they were before, but a key obstacle still lays in the way. Does Tkachev even make sense for the Edmonton Oilers? My personal response to that question is a solid no. Sure, he might be an awesome NHL player in the near future, however, I would bet against it happening as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers top 6 is basically set for the foreseeable future with Hall, RNH, Eberle, McDavid, Yakupov and McDavid on the way. Adding Tkachev would make no sense, other than maybe being the teams 2LW, which I would rather have a player with some size and a physical element in his game. His QMJHL team was recently knocked out of this years 2015 Memorial Cup tournament, a tourney where he raised a few eyes for both good and bad reasons. The good stuff is what you would expect from a player of Tkachev’s caliber, pretty goals and prettier plays. The bad part of the spectrum also is what you would expect from a player like Tkachev, which is questionable behaviour in times where he had to face some adversity. Ring any bells? That description of Tkachev reminds me very much of a one Linus Omark. Remember how excited we all were for him, he was the “O” in our “HOPE” campaign. Linus now spends his hockey playing days in the KHL, after being unable to crack the lineup of the worst NHL team in Buffalo, NY. This is a fate I feel that a young Vladimir Tkachev could possibly face, if he is chosen by Edmonton. He already has it hard with his height and size, he is going to have it even harder in a market that already has players similar to him set for the next 10 years. The Oilers shouldn’t draft Vladimir Tkachev both because of the organization’s needs and the own well-being of Tkachev himself.
So, with that being said, where do you think “Vladdy Hockey” would get the best opportunity to succeed in the NHL? I personally believe a team that has size and troubles scoring would be the most opportune place for him to land. A place like Dallas, or even Anaheim would be interesting to see. Til next time, feel free to follow me on Twitter @CrazyOilersFan and talk some hockey with me!
As always, McDavid.
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