By Justin Hein -
Who would have thought the Minnesota Wild would have such an eventful March?
Despite an early-season tailspin and a largely untradeable roster, Minnesota is in the thick of a playoff race and planning deadline moves. Now, reinforcements are on the way.
According to a report from The Athletic, 2020 second-round pick Marat Khusnutdinov is leaving Russia. He will sign the Wild and join the team when he clears immigration. While he has no NHL experience, fans should be excited about what he will bring to the lineup.
Here are the broad strokes on Khusnutdinov. He’s a great skater, both in a straight line and using his edges. That makes him effective off the rush and on the forecheck, where his skating abilities make the most significant impact. He also loves to use his explosive skating to attack with numbers.
Khusnutdinov can score during offensive zone possession, but he’s not a dominant playmaker. He’s better in a supporting role. That’s not to say he has poor vision because he’s quick to make passes after a successful forecheck. His readiness to make passes immediately after a turnover pairs well with his two-way identity.
Sometimes, it’s a red flag when a prospect develops a reputation as a forechecker. Scouts love his “200-foot game,” which can be a backhanded compliment. When a prospect’s scoring tails off as they progress to better leagues, scouts don’t want to admit that they misevaluated that player. Therefore, they pivot to admiring a player’s intangibles even as it’s becoming clear that that prospect isn’t effective against stronger opponents.
But that doesn’t appear to be an issue in Khusnutdinov’s case. In 2022-23, Khusnutdinov’s third season after the draft, or “D3”, his two-way skillset fueled exceptional scoring numbers in the KHL. Below is a graph of NHL Equivalency, which translates scoring from lower leagues into estimating a prospect’s NHL points.
Khusnutdinov’s elite D3 scoring implies that whatever intangibles he’s supposed to bring to the NHL are so dominant in lower leagues that they drive scoring. Namely, his ability to generate turnovers is all over his highlight reel.
Here, Khusnutdinov (No. 22 in blue) punishes a greedy regroup attempt by his opponent. He uses his stick to block the passing lane to the boards and cuts off the space to retreat below the goal line. Without looking, he passes into a two-on-one below the circles, demonstrating a tremendous defensive read and excellent awareness of his teammates’ positioning. Khusnutdinov makes the play so quickly that his teammates don’t appear ready to make the play across the net, and they eventually pass it up for a low-to-high pass.
Khusnutdinov’s awareness will be crucial if he’s going to realize his potential as a top-six center. For his forechecking and skating game to drive scoring, Khusnutdinov will need to have eyes in the back of his head the instant he turns over the puck.
My main concern with Khusnutdinov’s game is that some of his offense won’t translate well to an NHL ice sheet. NHL rinks are smaller than the KHL’s, and defenders tend to keep a tighter gap for that reason.
In the play above, Khusnutdinov is standing still when he receives this pass. NHL defenders would happily take away that passing lane. Khusnutdinov’s defender in the clip above also gives up position to the net after his awful coverage, which also won’t happen in the NHL. Plays like that highlight Khusnutdinov’s skill, but this particular play likely won’t work against an NHL defenseman. Still, it’s an opportunity to admire Khusnutdinov’s edgework and quick hands.
Khusnutdinov also has a good touch when shooting off-balance, which will help him contribute in Minnesota.
The play above is broken with the goalie out of position. However, Khusnutdinov demonstrates a scoring touch that’s generally a prerequisite to play in the top half of the lineup. The puck is well outside his frame, yet Khusnutdinov shelfs it in one quick motion. The ability to find and shoot messy rebounds will come in handy on NHL ice sheets.
Khusnutdinov also played on a line with Matvei Michkov, an elite scorer and one of the best prospects in the world.
Michkov’s offensive abilities are so good that it’s hard to describe him without using clichés. He has a rocket of a shot, skates like the wind, and has eyes in the back of his head. The KHL looks like easy mode for Michkov, and he opens a lot of space for his linemates.
Playing with Michkov should help prepare him for playing with the Wild. Khusnutdinov will play alongside a battalion of elite wingers in Minnesota, including Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Mats Zuccarello. The Wild may be able to add Danila Yurov to that list soon.
Khusnutdinov’s elite skating and vision make him a great fit to center a scoring winger. He drives possession, which is sometimes a weakness for elite scorers. Because of his speed, Khusnutdinov can keep up with and support superstars on his line.
Sometimes, he defers to better players, but that’s not much of a problem if he’s deferring to Michkov or Kaprizov. Khusnutdinov is willing to funnel the puck to his team’s elite scorers, simultaneously drawing defenders away from his team’s superstar players.
In the example above, Khusnutdinov spaces out wide after passing, forcing the defender to respect his one-timer and opening a two-on-one for Michkov. Actions like that make this passing play more effective.
When Khusnutdinov gets on the same wavelength with his linemates, they can play very fast, dangerous hockey. In the video below, Michkov has an incredible forechecking rep to turn over the puck before he and Khusnutdinov make an absurd passing play.
Khusnutdinov and Michkov can force turnovers and attack instantly when they gain possession. That sudden-change mentality highlights Khusnutdinov’s hockey IQ. Even when hounding opposing defensemen on a forecheck, Khusnutdinov always knows where his teammates are.
Khusnutdinov is at his best when he’s skating. Whether rocketing through open ice or chopping his feet through contact, he can use those wheels to draw defenders or drive the net, which Wild director of player development Brad Bombardir wants to see more often.
To my eye, this is the best rep on his tape. To sort out the players, note that Sochi’s No. 88 is defenseman Gleb Koryagin, who has already snuck from the right point to below the goal line before the clip starts. Khusnutdinov skates the puck into that space, which forces a mistake from the defenseman (Kunlun Red Star No. 27).
The defenseman has to decide whether to follow Khusnutdinov or pass him off to the wing. Koryagin jumps into the play, complicating that decision. Usually, when a defenseman jumps up into the offense from the point, it forces the other team into man coverage so they aren’t outnumbered at the net. Man coverage would dictate that the defenseman follow Khunutdinov.
That instinct draws the defenseman out of position because his teammate on the wing didn’t follow Sochi No. 88. Ultimately, Kunlun double-covers Khusnutdinov, opening Michkov to skate downhill three-on-two.
Khusnutdinov’s above play barely registers on the scoresheet, but it shows off a lot of vision. There’s an instinct here that’s difficult to teach a player. It’s also why Khusnutdinov might stick if he gets the opportunity to play higher up the lineup in Minnesota. The ability to open space for your team’s best player is rare.
Get excited about Marat Khusnutdinov. While he's dependable all over the ice, he has the potential to be great.
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