We all remember last year, when Nikita Zaitsev was just a rumour—a pretty solid rumour who turned into a solid defenceman. This year the rumours are more elusive, and the player is harder to define as well.
Who is Vladimir Tkachyov?
His name is sometimes romanized at Tkachev, and before you learn who he is, you need to be clear on who he isn’t. There’s two of them.
There is a younger Vladimir Tkachyov, 21 now, who played for a couple of years in the QMJHL and was never drafted to the NHL but was almost signed by the Oilers.