When George McPhee traded Semyon Varlamov to Colorado in early July, not only did he gain the roster flexibility to sign Vezina-hopeful Tomas Vokoun to a discounted one-year pact, he also netted two valuable assets from the Avalanche: a first-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and a second-round selection in either 2012 or 2013.

In a year’s time, Colorado could seriously regret this deal. Why? With two injury-prone goalies in Varlamov and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, and an offense that has few proven scorers, the Avalanche could fall into the lottery or possibly even finish dead-last in the West. That would give the Capitals a chance to pick in the top five for the first time in five years (they nabbed Karl Alzner fifth overall in 2007). It also presents McPhee and company with a shot at bringing a new Russian superstar to DC. His name: Nail Yakupov.

Let’s get you caught up. Yakupov was selected second overall by the Sarnia Sting in the 2010 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft. Before this, he played in the Russian junior league (MHL) for his hometown team, Reaktor Nizhnekamsk. Instead of biding his time and trying his luck in the KHL with Reaktor’s parent-team, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, Nail thought joining the Ontario Hockey League would be a quicker path to his dream to play in the National Hockey League.

So far, his decision looks to have paid off. Yakupov is currently ranked number one in the vast majority of prospect rankings, though it’s still too early to make any stone-cold predictions for next year. However, many analysts say that Yakupov “has it all” and will surely go number one come draft time in 2012.

In his first year with the Sting, the 17-year-old 5′ 11″ 167 lb. winger was named the OHL’s Rookie of the Month three times. He also broke records previously set by current NHL superstar Steven Stamkos. At the same age, Stamkos posted 42 goals and 92 points. Nail finished his season with 49 goals and 101 points, winning both the OHL and CHL’s Rookie of the Year awards.

For those of you who have never seen him play, here’s a video — with glorious techno music of course — of Yakupov dominating in the OHL:

Wow. After watching this, it’s hard to disagree with the praise Nail’s earned from HockeyProspect:

Maybe the easiest way to compare Nail Yakupov is a smaller version of Alexander Ovechkin. Although it is extremely unlikely for Nail to reach Alexander’s 6’3” 225lb size, he plays a very similar game and has a great number of similar traits.

Travis Yost, HockeyBuzz’s Senators and OHL blogger, agrees:

With as much strength as there is at the top of the draft, the Washington Capitals have to be absolutely salivating. In a best case scenario, imagine that the Avalanche completely tank, and the Capitals go and grab the venerable Nail Yakupov from the Sarnia Sting.

By all accounts, Yakupov is already NHL ready and could hit the National Hockey League as a blue-chip. You know, the ‘can’t-miss’ prospect that’s sure to dominate the league for years and years to come.

A player of his talent could single-handedly marginalize the probable loss of Alexander Semin, who should be in another hockey city come 2012. And, you’d have to imagine Yakupov would love playing alongside one of his country’s most respected and heralded players in Alexander Ovechkin.

Despite his limited size and Russian hockey education, Yakupov is not a complete liability on defense. He also can play both wings — just like fellow Russian Evgeny Kuznetsov. He’s also not afraid to mix it up.

Or check someone through the glass.

So, Caps fans, let’s hope for an awful season from the Avs this year. I truly believe Nail Yakupov is a superstar in the making, a perfect player to compliment Ovechkin and eventually replace an expensive — and possibly declining — Alex Semin on the second line. And really, it’s nothing personal, Colorado. You’ve won your championships. You have your banners. Now it’s time for the Caps to have some good luck!

Additional reporting by Ian Oland.

Dmitri Orlov poses with the Stanley Cup (Courtesy of the Russian Internets)

Washington Capitals Defensive prospect Dmitri Orlov was named today the Russian Junior Hockey League’s best defenseman in April, while Maxim Kitsyn (who is eligible for the ’10 draft) was named the best forward. Per the translated MHL release by Fedor Fedin:

The Novokuznetsk Bears surprised both analysts and fans alike when they made it the MHL Finals. In the “Golden” series, Sergei Krasilnikov’s team was defeated by the Steel Foxes of Magnotogorsk – 1:3. However, the games of the final round got the biggest hullabaloo in Novokuznetsk for a very long time: spectators filled the Sports Hall completely.

18-year-old defensemam Dmitri Orlov, was one of the main heroes of the first Kharlamov Cup. He was named the best defenseman of the MHL semifinals and Finals. Orlov played securely on defense and was a force on offense during the playoffs: he scored 9 goals and earned 10 assists. In the points race he finished second. He lost by only one point to his teammate, forward Maxim Kitsyn.

The acting mayor of Novokuznetsk ,Valery Smolego, congratulated the Junior team. He said that “hockey should continue to develop in our town.” Players and coaches got credentials and bonuses. And now the team is on break. The Bears will start preparations for the new season on the 1st of July.

H/T to Dmitry Chesnokov for first alerting us via Twitter.

RMNB’s Fedor Fedin has followed Dmitri Orlov everywhere this year (including Siberia and even a Moscow Bathroom). Now that the Novokuznetsk Bears’ season has finally come to an end, Fedor’s here to provide a final review of the season-that-was for Orlov which includes some interesting quotes, statistics, photos and videos. Take it away, comrade!

First of all, we wanted to point you to the summary of Orlov’s KHL Regular season by Championat.ru:

The 18-year-old defenseman is one of the brightest players on Metallurg’s roster. A swiftly progressing player, he was chosen in the 2nd round of NHL Entry Draft last summer, but, unlike a lot of his peers, did not move to America immediately and played season for his native team. He became an alternative captain during the season. Dmitri is a talented attacking defenseman who can make a play and fake out half of his opponents on the ice while then making a pass right in front of the open net. His goal against Torpedo is one of the best goals of the regular season for sure. His future in Metallurg is unclear since his chances of making the Capitals roster are very strong. Attacking defensemen are valued highly in the NHL and it’s clear that he won’t be lost in North America.

Rating: 7.5/10 [Ed. Note — T-1 skater on the team]

His final stats in the KHL 2009/10 regular season:
GP: 41 [15 on the team]; G: 4 [T-11]; P: 7 [16].

Two of four Orlov’s goals in the KHL this season came in a game against Barys Astana [11/24/09].

But unfortunately since Metallurg didn’t make the KHL playoffs, Dmitri was sent down to their MHL affiliate Novokuznetsk Bears so that he could continue to develop.

Round 1 of the MHL Playoffs: Novokuznetsk Bears vs. Krylya Sovetov

I had to use this photo because it’s rare: Orlov’s playing defense.

Stats: 4 GP, 2 G, 2 A, +2.
In the first round against one of the greatest Russian hockey clubs, almost all the games were dramatic but the Bears managed to win 3 of 4 to advance to the second round.

Since we should care a lot about the Caps PK, here’s video of the Bears killing off a 5 on 3 [Orlov is #9]:

Second round of the MHL Playoffs: Novokuznetsk Bears vs Reaktor

Orlov’s Stats: 4 GP; 2 G; 3 A; +4.

Our hero was not very good in first three games. But his fourth game was truly epic as he notched 2 goals, 3 assists, and a +5. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any videos from that game (I blame Putin).

After this series was concluded, the coach of the Bears Sergey Krasilnikov was interviewed by the Novokuznetsk sports portal.

Q: Some fans think that Dmitri Orlov fopps a lot in games for the Bears. He tries to overplay opponents “on one skate”. What can you say about it?

A: All of the players on our team (including Orlov) never fall to the ice in an attempt to try and make it look like they’re playing “on one skate”. We say that he’s a player of the Junior National Team. Yes, he is and even a leader. But look at the pressure he’s facing this season and how old is he? He’s 18! He’s a boy! Yes he plays good, he’s very mature. But he’s a youngster. And it’s impossible to go through a season that’s been this long and difficult without being tired. And now he plays with what’s left of his strength. He never fops! I don’t know what it looks like from the seats, but believe me – the fans aren’t right here.

MHL Semifinals: Novokuznets Bears vs Tolpar

Stats: 5 GP; 2 G; 2 A; +4.

And again – Orlov failed to start off the series well, but he was a King in the most important game where he managed to score twice! Here’s the video of both. His goals are at the 0:37 and 1:04 marks. The Bears won 6-2.

Also, here’s one of his dazzling assists:

After this series was over he was interviewed and discussed his future in DC:

Q: We’ve heard a lot of talk about you going to America this summer. Can you say anything about it now?
A: I still don’t know. I have two more years on the contract here. I don’t know, we’ll see.

MHL Finals: Novokuznetsk Bears vs Steel Foxes:

Stats: 4 GP; 3 G; 1 A; -2.

This was the only lost series for the Bears. They were losing 0-2 in Best of 5 series, then won the first do-or-die game, and then almost came back in the second. But, sadly they came up short. Dmitri said that they had “too little of force” in the final game.

Dmitri. Medal. Fans

Anyways, these playoffs were great for Dmitri. First, he got a ton of experience. Second, he made his native town very happy (they had their first sell-out for the looong time). And finally, he finished third in points (9+10) in the playoffs (with the top scorer being 2010 eligible Maxim Kitsyn with 20 points in 17 games). Trust me, there’s lots to look forward to with Dima in the future!

Will Philly's signing of Sergey Bobrovsky eventually light a fire back into the Caps/Flyers Rivalry?

For the three of you who follow Minor League Russian Hockey, you’re already aware that Caps Defensive Prospect Dmitri Orlov has led the Novokuznetsk Bears – the minor league affiliate of the KHL’s Metallurg Novokuznetsk – to this year’s MHL Finals. But what some of you may not know, is that the starting goaltender of the team, Sergey Bobrovsky, is Semyon Varlamov’s biggest rival in Russia. And sources in Novokuznetsk tell RMNB that Bobrovsky – now free of his Russian Contract – will sign a free agent deal with the Philadelphia Flyers and will play there next year.

Though it has largely flown under the radar in America, the impact of this deal could be huge. We consider it a coup for the Flyers and it could impact the Capitals/Flyers rivalry in the Eastern Conference for many years to come. Bobrovsky, at 21, has been Metallurg Novokuznetsk’s number one goalie for the past three years, and has managed to put up extremely strong numbers this season despite the fact he has been keeping for the KHL’s worst team.

His stats for the season so far are thus:

KHL: 35 GP (1964 Min), 1 SO, 2,72 GAA, .919 SVG%.
MHL (Playoffs): 12 Gp, 1 SO, 2,13 GAA, .929 SVG%.

In Russia, Bobrovsky is well-known as Varlamov’s main opponent for his age. For example, in 2008, former Russian WJC team coach Sergey Nemchinov neglected to call Varly and ask him to play on his World Junior Championship team. Nemchinov instead preferred Bobrovsky. Why? Here’s what he was quoted as saying at the time:

“I didn’t have any conflicts with Semyon Varlamov. I just call guys I trust.”

We here at RMNB thought that this was a pretty weird excuse. Here’s what Semyon Varlamov’s agent had to say on the issue:

“I don’t think that official version is right. [...] I guess that maybe the bosses of “Lokomotiv” [Ed. Note - Varlamov's Former club] asked Nemchinov not to call Semyon because they were having goalie issues.”

Anyways, most fans in Russia didn’t agree with that decision, and now see a huge rivalry between Varly and Bobry. When they played together for the Russian National Junior teams, Varly was almost always the number one goaltender.

But the real reason why this imminent signing is so interesting is because the Flyers used 5 different goalies this year including Brian Boucher, Ray Emery, Michael Leighton, Johan Backlund & Jeremy Duchesne – none of which to great success. With that said, we believe that Bobrovsky has a chance to become the #1 goaltender in Philadelphia sooner rather than later. Consider this fact: Not one of Flyers goalies had a better SVG% this regular season than Bobrovsky did in the KHL.

So, will the Caps/Flyers rivalry soon run hot again? With this upcoming signing, we certainly think so.

Much like in the NHL, the KHL has farm teams. And since Metallurg Novokuznetsk failed to make the KHL Playoffs, the team decided to option their finest young defensive prospect, Caps 2009 2nd Round Draft Pick Dmitri Orlov, down to the MHL’s Novokuznetsk Bears. (Bears? Are you SERIOUS?!) And for those who are confused, the MHL is Russian for Molodyozhnaya Hockeynaya Liga or the Junior Hockey League. It’s exactly like the AHL, the only difference being that the MHL is for younger players only.

Anyways, lucky for us, Fedor translated an exclusive interview between Andrey Osadchenko and Dmitri Orlov. Below the jump, Dmitri talks about being the highest scoring MHL Defenseman for the month of February, what it was like to miss the playoffs, and why he picked the number 9.

Andrey Osadchenko – Dmitri, we extend our congratulations for you being the highest scoring defenseman in the MHL for the month of February.
Dmitri Orlov – I didn’t know it (smiling). I like it, sure.

AO – You’ve continued your torrid pace in March: Now you have 13 points (7+6) in 9 games. Why have you been so successful?
DO – I always like to go to attack. I even played forward some time ago. Also, I played the entire year in the KHL, and that’s pretty good hockey. So I’m much more confident in the MHL. And that looks to be the reason why I’ve created so many opportunities.

AO – Fans still remember your fantastic bull-s eye goal against Severstal [Ed. Note - against Avtomobilist, Dmitri didn't score against Severstal] after your big run from your zone (see video here). Do the defensemen in the MHL give you a chance to do something like this?
DO – I was lucky there. I did what the situation asked me to do, go and score. I think that here, there is a pretty good level of teams. It’s definitely better than in First League (League of non-junior farms and low-level pro teams). And it’s more interesting. I think the MHL will continue to grow. People already visit our games, and it’s always a joy to play for a big public.

AO – From your perspective, what’s the biggest difference between the KHL and MHL.
DO – There aren’t many. Just the opposing players in the KHL are older, more experienced and skilled.

AO – Which of the goals that you’ve scored in the MHL do you remember the most?
DO - Against Reactor. I had lots of opportunities in that game but I couldn’t find the net. And then in 3rd period I finally scored. I was very happy.

AO – You scored only 7 points (4+3) playing for Metallurg this season in 41 games. Did you change something in your game when you were sent down to the Bears?
DO – No, I just am more sure about myself. I can go forward without fear sometimes. The KHL [season] started off good for me, I scored a lot at the start of it. But my power started to leave me later. That’s why I was not very good at the WJC.

AO – You played two games against either Omsk Hawks, Bars, White Bears and Reactor. Which team impressed you more than the others?
DO – The Chelyabinsk White Bears. Both times we played against them our rosters included a lot of youngsters from the 1st team and the games were interesting and close. We won one and they won one, difference was one goal each.

AO – It’s very rare to see a defenseman wear #9. But you chose it for the National Team, Metallurg and the Bears. Why do you like this number so much?
DO – Earlier I didn’t use it on the national team… I played for two years as a forward because I was pretty small for a defenseman. I was pretty good, but I came back to the defense, because I was more confident there.

AO – Everyone wanted to be like someone in their childhood. Who were your idols?
DO – I always liked offensive defensemen like Slava Fetisov, Bobby Orr, Kirill Koltsov because I like strikes too.

AO – Will the success of the Novokuznetsk Bears cancel out Metallurg’s fail this year?
DO – I think so. It’s a pity that Metallurg couldn’t make the playoffs. We had chances but we weren’t lucky enough. But it’s alright in the MHL so far. We helped the Bears make the playoffs. We’ll play against “Krylya Sovetov”, and we’ll try not to lose face out there and go to the second round.

AO – A year ago you became a Champion of Russia playing for the junior team of Metallurg (1991-92 year of birth). Can the Bears repeat this success in the MHL?
DO – I can only say that we’ll try to make history.