By Luke Sims -
It’s safe to say Marat Khusnutdinov should never play a single game in the AHL. After years of speculation about what the 21-year-old could do, his time finally arrived to throw on a Minnesota Wild sweater and show everyone what he could do in the NHL. After three years of professional experience in the KHL, he didn’t look out of place as Minnesota’s third-line center.
The young Russian recorded his first point, an assist, versus the Anaheim Ducks on a Jon Merrill goal (lol). While his box score doesn’t pop out at you, his underlying numbers paint a better picture of what he brings to the Wild.
Sadly, Khusnutdinov has had to spend almost all of his time tied to everyone's favorite Wild players: Marcus Foligno, Freddy Gaudreau, and Marcus Johansson.
It’s a fate I would not wish on my worst enemy. But it’s the reality that John Hynes has created for young Marat. The only times that Khusnutdinov has been away from Fred, Moose, and JoJo have been on special teams. But Khusnutdinov has seen just under four minutes of powerplay time and another two on the penalty kill.
Khusnutdinov has seen almost exactly 50 minutes of ice time across four games, which is only more than the quartet of fourth-liners the Wild have in Adam Beckman, Vinni Lettieri, Mason Shaw, and Jacob Lucchini.
While a big deal has been made about how good he’s been on the faceoff dot, that’s not the be-all-end-all of his time in Minnesota. There are pros and cons to his debut, which is to be expected with a rookie.
His possession statistics are not good or bad. His 49.43 Corsi For % is third-worst among forwards over the last four games. But overall, it’s ninth on the team at even strength over the entire season.
The points on the scoresheet are not there, and the underlying offensive metrics back that up. Khusnutdinov is among the worst on the team in GF/60 (goals for per 60 minutes of play) at 1.52. Only Gaudreau is worse among Wild regulars.
While he may not be producing that much, opponents are not scoring on Khusnutdinov. Khusnutdinov is among the best Wild forwards in limiting goals and shots. Currently, Khusnutdinov has a GA/60 (goals against per 60) of 0. Yep, zero. A big ole goose (not Goligoski) egg. Khus has allowed 29.06 shots per hour, which is not the best but not bad.
The Wild have a 100% save percentage from their goaltenders, with the Russian on the ice. It’s a fun but unsustainable stat. Still, Khusnutdinov has established a precedent of being a net-positive defensive player.
As the third-line center, Hynes has not put Khusnutdinov in favorable starting positions. His 20.75 defensive zone start % is third-highest on the team, just behind Lettieri and Gaudreau. That role fits Khusnutdinov well, and he’s excelling in it. But it doesn’t help the offensive side of his game.
Khusnutdinov also puts his body on the line. Over his first four games, Khusnutdinov is third among forwards in blocks with four, two more than anyone else. His discipline has been impeccable so far, too. Khusnutdinov has drawn a penalty while not taking any, which is impressive. It’s not always an easy adjustment for Russians to North American ice.
However, Khusnutdinov wins faceoffs. It is a small sample size, but he has won 17 of the 30 draws he has taken. That’s good for a Wild-best 56%. In high-leverage situations, Minnesota may have found a guy they can count on to win a draw.
While the lack of offense is disappointing, it will come. Khusnutdinov has his name in the KHL record books as one of the highest point-producing players at his age ever. His name is next to the likes of Artemi Panarin, Vladimir Tarasenko, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and the Wild’s own Kirill Kaprizov. It’s only his first few NHL games, and in the role he’s in and the players he is playing with, it’s not the best opportunity for him to light up the scoresheet.
Khusnutdinov has been all the Wild could have asked for and more.
All stats and data via HockeyDB, Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, and Capfriendly unless otherwise noted.
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