Canadiens draft pick Dmitri Kostenko destroyed by his own GM.
Very rarely does one hear a general manager speak so poorly of one of his own players.
It is very rare to hear a general manager speak of a player in this manner, especially one that presumably has a shot at a future in the National Hockey League.
A recent report from French-language website TVA Sport has published some incredibly scathing comments from Sergei Gusev, general manager of Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk in Russia's VHL, about Montreal Canadiens prospect Dmitri Kostenko. Kostenko played just a single season under Gusev's team this past season but it seems that the former Canadiens 3rd round pick (87th overall) in 2021 has left a strong lasting impression on the GM.
"He will never make it [to the NHL]," said Gusev as per TVA Sports.
Those are definitely not the kinds of comments you want to hear about one of your draft picks, but if you think that was bad Gusev was only just getting started.
"He doesn't want to learn, he just wants to do his own thing," said Gusev with disgust. "You tell him to pass the puck across the ice and he will give the puck to the opponent anyways."
According to Gusev the issues aren't limited to Kostenko's play on the ice either, with the general manager also critical of Kostenko's attitude when things don't go his way.
"On top of it, if you don't put him on the power play he pouts," added Gusev. "He won't saying anything but you can see it in his body language, he drives me crazy, seriously."
Gusev would go further still when he indicated that Montreal Canadiens co-directeur of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov had similar views of Kostenko's development.
"I told him the same things," said Gusev of his conversations with Bobrov. "Bobrov told me that from his end that he had been following this kid for two years and that nothing had changed. I wasn't surprised to hear that."
You won't be surprised to learn that Gusev does not believe the Canadiens will be signing Kostenko to any kind of deal in the future.
