Radulov for Real?

[SockPuppet]

Is Radulov for real? And by that I mean to ask whether he can maintain this level of production for the rest of the season (and beyond). His 60pt pace is pretty much what many experts predicted, but I was skeptical.
I maintain my skepticism and am not sure if he has the stamina to keep this level up over 82 games. I also doubt his mental toughness given his history of volatility and Therrien's general incompetence.

Any and all thoughts welcome!

Thanks!

[2014olympicgold]

60-70pt forward i think. He's hitting and blocking shots that's a surprise but not his offensive output. We'll see how he does down the stretch, could have endurance issues.

[lucafen4]

Yes he's for real. And he's getting more comfortable every game. He's 28, he's won B2B KHL championships. He's played in the NHL before, he knows the grind. It's not Buchnevich a much younger player we're talking about here, who's also a lot smaller. Radulov is built to grind, he's big and nasty. He's the type of player Therrien wants the rest of his team to be. Which is why they added Weber & Shaw as well. They want to be tough to play against. Radulov is that.

He's also been over a pt/gm player since moving to the KHL.

Put your skepticism to rest.

[Cake Eater]

I think he is for real and will end the season around 60 points.

[PenguinHunter]

The fact that he left the NHL for the KHL a couple of times and is used to playing a shorter season in the KHL.. I think that he will have a very slow January and February when the grind of the NHL 82 game season starts to hit him.

[Hoopo]

I don't understand why everyone doubts him. All this seems to stem from his bad reputation in Nashville because of him and Kostitsyn going out drinking that time. Seems like people doubt him because they just don't like him, not because of the actual skills he brings.

One thing they have always said about Radulov is that he plays a physical, NHL-style game instead of a typical KHL game. He's been pretty good every time we've seen him in the NHL, and a veritable superstar in the KHL where he regularly outperformed Kovalchuk, who was a very good NHL forward himself.

As for getting tired as the season goes on, the KHL season is 54 games, plus an additional 6 games against conference rivals that they apparently don;t count, plus playoffs. last season for example, Radulov played 53 regular season games and 20 playoff games. If he can play 73, take a summer off, and play like he has in the NHL, I don't know what we're worried about

He is for real and he'll be fine.

[Wonko]

He looks like the real deal to me. I was skeptical but watching him play with grit and determination as well as fantastic play making has made a believer out of me. I think he has a good shot at topping 60 points this year.

[Kylegary Flames]

Him and Galchenyuk have some chemistry, so I think each player with help the other produce. 60pts is within reach.

[2014olympicgold]

I don't understand why everyone doubts him. All this seems to stem from his bad reputation in Nashville because of him and Kostitsyn going out drinking that time. Seems like people doubt him because they just don't like him, not because of the actual skills he brings.

One thing they have always said about Radulov is that he plays a physical, NHL-style game instead of a typical KHL game. He's been pretty good every time we've seen him in the NHL, and a veritable superstar in the KHL where he regularly outperformed Kovalchuk, who was a very good NHL forward himself.

As for getting tired as the season goes on, the KHL season is 54 games, plus an additional 6 games against conference rivals that they apparently don;t count, plus playoffs. last season for example, Radulov played 53 regular season games and 20 playoff games. If he can play 73, take a summer off, and play like he has in the NHL, I don't know what we're worried about

He is for real and he'll be fine.

73 KHL does not equal 73 NHL games. it’s a lot more physically enduring in the NHL. It’s more of something to watch than expect tho in my eyes. If he looks like he’s out of gas (losing puck battles and such) come January/February, then I’d be raising this flag.

Right now, he’s a top NHLer.