[shawn79]

Would you take Kirill Kabanov at 25th overall if he falls to us?

Originally Posted by ;6967278

The Kabanov story
05.25.2010 / 1:23 p.m. ET

Of the 100 players invited the NHL Scouting Combine, maybe the most interesting player was Russian-born forward Kirill Kabanov.

Kabanov's struggles on and off the ice this season have been well-documented -- his court battle with the KHL, his wrist injury, leaving his team in Moncton three games into the playoffs, getting booted from Russia's World Under-18 team.

I wanted to hear Kabanov's story, and during the 10 minutes he and I talked, he was brutally honest about what happened and where he believes his future lies.

"I can you tell one thing -- I will stay in North America forever," he told NHL.com. "CHL, AHL, NHL -- I don't want to go back to Russia." He even went as far as saying that he's considering giving up his Russian citizenship."

With Russian-born players under a microscope for a number of reasons, his words in his Combine interviews are vital. Kabanov's talents are unmistakable, but his off-ice decisions are what teams have to take into consideration.