The New Jersey Devils just announced they signed Russian winger Nikita Popugaev after a tumultuous time in the KHL. This could be the move that puts his career back on track.
The New Jersey Devils signed their 2017 fourth-round pick Nikita Popugaev to an AHL contract. This is a crucial step for the 20-year-old forward, who brings something the Devils desperately need in Binghamton and New Jersey; size.
He’s 6’6, 217 pounds. That’s like throwing a guy with the size of Brian Boyle to play with the smaller players that tend to be in the AHL. He’d be the tallest person on the Devils, and there’s only a few players in the NHL taller than him.
He’s an extremely skilled forward with first-round talent, but some issues caused him to fall all the way to pick 98. At the time, we thought he could possibly be the steal of the NHL Draft, but things have gone off the rails quickly.
He was absolutely elite when he was on the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL. He scored 98 points in 110 games. He looked like he could move himself into the first round of the draft that year. Then he was traded, and nothing was ever the same.
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He went to play with the Prince George Cougars. In the second half of the 2016-17 season, he scorer 18 points in 31 games. Those numbers are fine, but not what they expected when they traded for him. Then, the next season things got worse. He was dropped in the lineup, and eventually chose to take his ball and go home.
Well, home went even worse. He signed with CKSA Moskva of the KHL. He didn’t last long in the big leagues, and split the rest of the season between the VHL and MHL, which are both minor leagues of the KHL (think ECHL and AHL). This season, it was a similar situation. He played really well in the minor leagues when he was given regular ice time. Then he would play in the KHL with the Amur Khabarov.
He was only playing extremely limited minutes while in the KHL this season. These were Mikey McLeod type minutes. There were nights he dressed for the game and didn’t even hit the ice. It clearly wasn’t good for a guy who desperately needs ice time.
This move allows the Devils to really focus his development and provide him with a true opportunity. Who knows why he had so many issues until now. Maybe he has those dreaded character issues. Maybe he’s not a good practice player, or maybe there are issues with his confidence level. No matter what those issues are, it’s much better for the Devils to fix them while he’s directly in their system.
This is the best possible situation for everyone. We called for this to happen two weeks ago. It was obvious what needed to be done. The Devils couldn’t watch as this talent was wallowing in a league that doesn’t help them. It’s one thing if he struggles in Binghamton, because at least they control his development and can give him direct structure.
Popugaev has the chance he’s likely been waiting for since he got drafted. He now has the opportunity to prove he can be a professional hockey player. Things came close to falling off completely, but they didn’t and now Popugaev is where he belongs. He will be wearing a Devils crest, and if things work out, this could one day become the turning point of a good career.