Colorado Avalanche fans probably weren’t dancing in the streets when the club announced that they had signed 20-year-old defenseman Sergei Boikov to a three-year entry level deal. The 161st pick in 2015 draft, Boikov made his AHL debut from the San Antonio Rampage last year, playing four games but failing to register a point on the score sheet.
At 6’2″ and 194 pounds, Boikov is a bit undersized, but his size doesn’t alter his play. He’s a physical defenseman with a high compete level. He isn’t offensively gifted and is unlikely to score more than 20 points in a NHL season, but his main job would be shutting down the opposition.