Meet Matvei Kotkov: Bruins select a Russian playoff MVP in the fourth round

The Boston Bruins took some swings at speed and skill on the wings in this draft, and that continued with their selection of Matvei Kotkov. With three picks in the fourth round, the front office had the chance to go a bit outside the box with at least one of the selections, and taking Kirill Yemelyanov's teammate from Loko Yaroslavl in the MHL is one that could pay off down the road.

Kotkov's season started slowly, resulting in just 31 points in 36 games. However, as the Bruins copied for a couple of their picks in this weekend's draft, it was more about how the player grew throughout the season. Kotkov won the Kharlamov Cup with his team, leading them with 15 points in 18 games and becoming the youngest player in the league's history to win the playoff MVP.

The Russian winger is good at everything that the Bruins lack in their current NHL lineup. The player is nowhere near making a professional debut in North America, but if all the forwards the team is compiling ever develop into NHLers, Boston will be significantly more skilled throughout the lineup than it is currently.

Kotkov's greatest threat is his shot, but he is also a sneaky good playmaker. The forward lacked in some areas of skating and physicality, but his play improved as the season went on and he became the team's most effective forward by the playoffs.

There is always the chance that Bruins fans never see Kotkov in North America. With his game as currently constructed, he projects as a solid KHL winger, but he might never make that jump to the NHL. The fact that he is developing alongside Yemelyanov makes things a bit more interesting, as they may pursue that NHL dream together and develop accordingly.

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