Wild Officially Sign Marat Khusnutdinov To ELC

Finally, it's official. The Minnesota Wild announced on Wednesday afternoon that they have signed prospect Marat Khusnutdinov to a two-year, entry-level contract.

The 21-year-old center was drafted in the second round, 37th overall during the 2020 NHL Draft and has been able to play extremely well over in the KHL ever since. He was one of the most productive Under-21 scorers in league history last season, scoring 41 points in 63 games. And most recently, has had a fairly decent showing with a bad HC Sochi team.

Now, he is working on his visa to make his way overseas and start his North American professional career. His new boss, general manager Bill Guerin, has a hell of a lot of good things to say about him.

Who knows where he will play in the Wild's lineup but adding some young talent that could be a very good player and part of the team's foundation for years to come, is certainly exciting. And now, he gets to help the Wild on their current playoff push, as soon as he joins the team.

That's Wild

• Will the Wild make the same mistake and sign Zach Bogosian to a contract extension that shouldn't really happen? [Hockey Wilderness]
• "The type of player that can help us right now": The Wild keep on praising Khusnutdinov even before he makes his NHL debut. [The Hockey News]

Off the trail...

• Chris Tanev has joined the Central Division and got traded to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday evening, and it didn't cost that much. How did both sides do on the deal? [ESPN]
• Elias Pettersson and the Vancouver Canucks are reportedly talking about a contract extension again and some people are saying that they are moving to an eight-year extension. He might finish as the best player in team history. [The Province]
• Taking a closer look at the tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference. [DailyFaceoff]