Is the name of Dmitri Kostenko tell you something? The young 21-year-old Russian player was drafted in the 3rd round in 2021 (87th overall) and has been playing in the KHL and the VHL, which corresponds to the American League here, ever since.

As TVA Sports reports, the youngster was loaned to Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk in the middle of the season and its CEO, Sergey Gusev had a lot to say about him.

The latter has a very clear opinion about Kostenko and that is not a pleasant thing to hear.

According to him, Kostenko will not only never receive an offer from the Montreal Canadiens, but he will also never set foot in North America. He simply does not have what it takes and goes even further…

He doesn’t want to learn, he just wants to do his own thing. If you tell him not to make the cross pass, he will still give the puck to the opponent.

I’ve spoken to him several times. I told him, “Listen, if you want to play in the NHL, you have to do this and that…” He seems to listen, you know, he says he understands and he’ll do his best. But the match comes and he does the same stupid things.

And if you don’t involve him in the power play, he acts like an idiot. He doesn’t say anything, but you can see it in his body language. It really drives me crazy.

-Sergei Gusev

However, the young winger scored 20 points in 22 games with his team and seemed to be on the right track, but his GM just can’t handle him. Sometimes points just aren’t enough.

When he spoke to Nick Bobrov As chairman of the CH, he did not hesitate to paint an unenviable portrait of Kostenko, and it seems that Bobrov agrees.

A CEO here would never make such a statement about a 21-year-old. Actually, about any player. Things like this happen behind the scenes and in the offices, but in Russia the mentality is obviously not the same.