Sports sites such as CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, and SB Nation deemed the Arizona Coyotes as losers after the first round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Not only that, most scouts and analysts were scratching their heads after the pair of selections the Coyotes made. You may ask, what were these two selections that had most of the hockey world talking? It was none other than a pair of Russians in Dmitri Simashev and Daniil But. Most teams weren’t able to watch these two live, as Russia is in the midst of a war. The Coyotes were not like most teams and managed to get a glimpse of the two players.
“As it turns out, the Coyotes found a way around that issue. General manager Bill Armstrong, director of amateur scouting Darryl Plandowski, and associate director of amateur scouting Ryan Jankowski all watched both players play live in a tournament in Belarus where only one other team was present,” Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports said. “They came out of that tournament blown away.”
But and Simashev both play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv; however, expectations and question marks loomed larger for But. In his first season in the KHL, he’s impressed many and is showing promising potential.
But Exceeding Expectations, Despite Only Being 18 Years Old
It’s well known that the NHL isn’t a development league. It’s a different animal from the rest of the leagues in the world. While it still doesn’t come close to the NHL in terms of talent, the KHL is likely the second-best hockey league in the world. Arguments can be made for the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), but for the most part, the KHL is seen as second to the NHL. With that, young players typically either see limited action or get sent down to the MHL (Russia’s top junior league), where it’s much easier to see ice time. All this in mind, But is currently tearing up the KHL as an 18-year-old and is proving his worth at twelfth overall.
Currently, But is playing on the second-line wing for Lokomotiv, which is very encouraging for a player his age. That is a significant change from the start of the season, where he saw little ice time, and was usually the thirteenth forward. After a strong November, he’s slowly gaining traction and putting up points consistently. So far, he is up to seven goals and 13 points in 24 games. These aren’t the eye-opening stats most people are looking for, but he is developing well, and that is likely what the Coyotes care about most.
“It was my first time watching him in person so I watched a little bit of video before I went just to kind of have an idea of what he was like as a player,” Foster said. “He’s huge, like 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8, yet he can skate; he can move. You can see right away that his ability to play with the puck is very high-end.”
“He had a great game. He played on the first line with two of Lokomotiv’s top players,” Foster continued. “He played on the power play at the net front, using his size. He’s got confidence with the puck where he can make those small-area plays to continue possession or he can make those little plays around the net to find a guy in a tight pocket and he does a really good job of extending plays by using his size in those tight areas. There were even a couple of times where he laid the body and used his size to continue the forecheck and the offensive zone time.”
The Coyotes are clearly happy with how But has progressed this season and a player who has been brought up in comparison is the Buffalo Sabres’ Tage Thompson.
But Is Comparable to Sabres’ Tage Thompson
Coming to the 2023 Draft, there were plenty of comparables for every player. Most compared first-overall pick Connor Bedard to Connor McDavid, both being generational talents. For But, a comparison that tends to come up is Thompson. GM Bill Armstrong actually played a big role in drafting Thompson in St. Louis, and they may have a very similar player with But.
Thompson has become a premier superstar in the NHL. Last season, he notched a career-high 47 goals and 94 points. While those are totals But may never hit, they share plenty of characteristics. One is their height; both are 6-foot-5 and stand well above most other players on the ice. They also share their knack for finding the back of the net, something But is extremely good at. While fans will make their own comparisons, the Coyotes also envision a Thompson comparison.
“You start trying to think about what he could be in the NHL at that size and with the ability to move, and with the hands and the playmaking ability he has at that size. He’s been compared to Tage Thompson,” Foster said. “I don’t know Tage very well, but I watched the game between Tampa and Buffalo and you really can see that they’re very similar in the way they look on the ice. It just excites you when you get a kid that big who can move and play with the puck like he does.”
Of course, But is just 18 years old, but regardless, his future is extremely bright in the desert.
What Does Buts’ Timeline to NHL Look Like?
The question now looms of when But will make his NHL debut. With most prospects, determining when they’ll play in the NHL is always challenging. For But, he’s in a situation only a few prospects see themselves in. He is signed for the next two seasons in the KHL with Lokomotiv, so we won’t see him until 2025-26 at the very least. That’s if everything goes well — Ilya Fedotov signed an extension in the KHL not too long ago, so But could hypothetically do that as well.
Related: Analyzing the Coyotes’ 2 First-Round Draft Selections
However, it’s doubtful that will happen. Another question that will need an answer is if But will need more seasoning when he arrives in North America. The American Hockey League (AHL) will always be there, and Armstrong has shown to over-bake prospects rather than rushing them, so that is also a possibility. Again, this won’t take place for at least another two years, so the only worry should be how he’s developing.
His development so far has been great, and if he can continue on his trajectory, he’ll likely be an impactful player in the desert for the foreseeable future.
But Is Key Piece to Coyotes Down the Line
While all draft selections are important to the team that drafts them, it’s usually pretty clear that first-round selections are the ones that get the most scrutiny. That is no different for But this season and all the seasons he’ll be with the Coyotes. Down the road, But will likely play a vital role on the team, providing them a massive winger and someone who can score on a consistent basis. While he still has several obstacles ahead in his young career, it’s certain the Coyotes have big plans for him.