By Tom Schreier -
The New Jersey Devils selected Anton Silayev 10th overall in this year’s draft, two spots before the Minnesota Wild took Zeev Buium. Had Silayev fallen two more spots, the Wild would have had to give him a long look.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie called the 6’7”, smooth-skating defensive defenseman “a unicorn.” Silayev, 17, played 63 games in the KHL this year because his Hall of Fame coach, Igor Larionov, trusted him to play responsibly in Russia’s best league. “He’s a better skater than Victor Hedman,” Larionov told The Athletic in May.
Despite being a boy among men, Silayev played an essential role at even strength and on the power play. He can make solid outlet passes after retrieving the puck in his own end and has an accurate wrist shot from long range. Had Silayev fallen to the Wild, he would have been the perfect replacement for Jake Middleton.
So, how did he fall to pick 10 in the draft?
He’s Russian.
The Wild took Kirill Kaprizov in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, but they didn’t sign him until 2020. COVID-19 complicated matters, but so did 5,000 miles and geopolitical dynamics. Kaprizov spent three seasons with the KHL’s best team, CSKA Moscow, and they likely didn’t want one of their best players to leave for North America. There is also a language barrier, which owner Craig Leipold bridged by sending him a letter in Russian.
A year after signing a five-year, $45 million contract in 2021, Kaprizov got trapped in Russia during the offseason. He joined a team where Alex Galchenyuk, who’s of Belarusian descent but was born in Milwaukee, was the only player who spoke Russian. Kaprizov had to learn English and adapt to American culture. Still, the effort was worth it for both sides. Kaprizov cashed in after his rookie season and will be a free agent at age 29; the Wild got their first bona fide superstar since Marian Gaborik.
However, Kaprizov can be the Wild’s Russian nesting doll that keeps giving. Last year, Kaprizov mentored Marat Khusnutdinov, Minnesota’s dynamic Russian rookie. He can also help welcome Danila Yurov, the Russian winger Minnesota took with the 24th pick in the 2022 draft, whenever he comes over. Kaprizov’s presence makes it more likely that Russian players will join the Wild and feel comfortable once they arrive. Moscow on the Hill and Google Translate will only go so far in recruiting players from the Motherland.
The Wild have long been a good, not great team. They always provide good entertainment on a random Tuesday in January but rarely play into May. Minnesota last made it to the second round of the playoffs in the 2014-15 season, and they’ve only reached the Western Conference Finals once, in 2003.
Perplexingly, the Wild have doubled down on their high-floor, low-ceiling strategy under Bill Guerin. They’ve played hardball in negotiations with high-end players like Kaprizov and Marco Rossi but handed out extensions with no-trade clauses to aging, mediocre veterans. In doing so, they have created a second cap hell they will enter after the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts come off the books.
Minnesota’s prospects are their most straightforward pathway out of perpetual mediocrity. Wild director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett has masterfully identified talent in the draft. However, Minnesota needs roster and cap space to allow them to make an impact in the NHL. Assuming they can develop their talent and find a spot on the roster, their young players have the talent to enable the Wild to build a winning team around Kaprizov before he’s a free agent in 2026-27.
However, they can also fill in roster holes by mining Russia for talent. That means drafting Russian players, knowing they have a better chance of coming over with Kaprizov in Minnesota. They could also pursue free agents or post-hype prospects who didn’t work out for other teams. Hockey is popular in Russia, and the country has the ninth-largest population in the world. There are talented players in the oblast, but the Wild must find them and entice them to come over.
Silayev will eventually join the Devils. They wouldn’t have drafted him so high if they thought he’d stay in Russia. Still, he remained hidden from NHL scouts’ preying eyes because he grew up in Sarov, a closed town 250 miles from Moscow. Previously known as Gorkiy-130 and Arzamas-16, Russia has closed off Sarov because it holds its center for nuclear research. They apply travel restrictions, requiring authorization for people to visit or stay overnight.
Scouts discovered Silayev because he played in the MHL, Russia’s highest minor league, two years ago and the KHL at age 17 last season. However, there is talent in closed or remote towns who could help fortify Minnesota’s roster. Kaprizov grew up in Novokuznetsk, a city of 550,000 forty-eight hours east of Moscow, and he eventually made Minnesota home. The Wild must seek more players like him, knowing Kaprizov will be there to greet them with a friendly “привет” when they arrive in St. Paul.
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