Pre season many predicted Kevin Hard would be a breakout player with the San Diego Marlins. He was on sleeper lists in many fantasy leagues and many experts were predicting a 40-50 point season for the young American was not out of reach. In the span of a 52 games he went behind his GM @thadthrasher and stabbed him in the back Tuesday morning with a shocking mid season signing with Vladimir Putin's CSKA Red Army of the KHL leaving San Diego and North America forever and playing overseas.
So what happened?
The S78 VHL Draft Eligible prospect came over to the Marlins with a lot of hype. Not that he was a great overall player or would re-write record books in San Diego, but he was a YouTube sensation, a wizard with the puck and many fans wanted to see him live. His YouTube training videos are some of the most viewed around the world.
He also had impressive credentials to back it up. He was offensive star for a weak team USA U-18 crop from his birth year and for USA at both the World Junior U18 Championships and Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He was also the third leading scorer for second place Dynamo Moscow of the KHL in last years regular season, before making the jump to North America the following year.
Kev did nothing to dispel the notion he was an offensive dynamo. He started in S77 in the VHLM with The San Diego Marlins and put up a tiny 14 points in the first 50 games playing in the VHLM.
On December 10, 2010 fans got their wish and Omark debuted as an Oiler. He registered an assist and went on to put up 27 points in 51 games, not looking out of place. However Today we see that isnt theh case and Kevin Hard was placed on unconditional Waivers.
The problem for Kevin going forward was that as a somewhat one dimensional player, to put him in the lineup he had to be in a top-six offensive role. He was unable to play that role and he found himself behind other Forwards Mariani, Tessier, Chisholm, Craig and Trunov, and a potential victim of the numbers game.
Based on what he showed the year earlier, Kevin did start the year with the Marlins but lasted only fifty games before he was sent down.
Coming into this season, Pandemic or not, the writing was on the wall for King. With the signing of Trunov and Tessier, knocking on the door, playing time for yet another offensive forward would be at a premium.
Despite Hard’s previously much-publicized Twitter plea to be dealt to another team after being sent to the minors, the Marlins couldn’t or wouldn’t find a deal to their liking. A unrestricted free agent following this past season, Kevin Hard was bolting overseas. He chose the latter and has signed a one-year deal with CSKA Moscow of Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
According to Marlins broadcaster Porpus Dolphin, Hard and his agent felt that CSKA gave him the best chance of getting back into the spotlight and on track for stardom.