The Minnesota Wild announced Wednesday that they have signed Marat Khusnutdinov to a two-year entry-level contract. Khusnutdinov could very well become one of the league’s best two-way centerman in a few years.
Khusnutdinov was selected 37th overall by the Wild in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has spent the last four seasons playing in the Kontinental Hockey League. Though he scored 41 points (11 goals and 30 assists) for SKA St. Petersburg during the 2022-2023 season, it’s unlikely he’ll be lighting the lamp nightly in the Excel Energy Center. But that’s not necessarily what the Wild were looking for when they drafted the young Russian. His real value is his phenomenal awareness and ability to play both sides of the puck.
Value of a Two-Way Centerman
Finding and developing a committed two-way center is like digging for gold on a sandy beach. With elite playmaking centers like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid, it’s hard to argue that they need to be more defensively responsible when they are so offensively dominant.
True two-way centers — such as Sebastian Aho, Alexander Barkov, and Phillip Danault — are very difficult to come by and often prove invaluable to a team that relies on defense to kickstart its offense. The Wild managed to suffocate McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers last week on their way to a 4-2 win, and it had almost nothing to do with an offense-first mindset. Rather, the Wild were responsible in the defensive zone by managing to slow down McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, which ultimately led to offensive opportunities. This is where Khusnutdinov comes in.
Khusnutdinov could slot in as a third-line centerman whose primary focus is to shut down offensively explosive top lines. He might also quickly gain the trust of head coach John Hynes and play a pivotal role on the penalty kill. With Kirill Kaprisov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Matt Boldy, there won’t be a lot of pressure on Khusnutdinov to suddenly take over the game on the attack.
Byron Bader posted to X that the Russian’s “development pattern has been up and down and a bit all over the place. But the Wild likely have a nice top 9 piece here with some potential to be something pretty significant.”
The door for Khusnutdinov to play in the NHL this season has creaked open, given that the Wild will need a small miracle to make the playoffs following a devastating inter-conference loss to the Nashville Predators Thursday night. If management believes that a postseason slot is out of reach, the 21-year-old Russian could see some game time before the season ends.
Michael Russo speculated that Khusnutdinov “could center the third or fourth lines or, heck, the Wild’s second line has been such a revolving door due to underachievers like Marcus Johansson, Ryan Hartman and Freddy Gaudreau, perhaps Khusnutdinov can play left wing or center in a top-six role (from ‘Where will Marat Khusnutdinov fit in the Wild lineup when he arrives?’ The Athletic, 03/01/2024).
It’s certainly too early to tell where he will end up, but there is room for him on the roster.
Do Wild Have the Next Phillip Danault?
The Wild might have the next Phillip Danault in Khusnutdinov. As far as defensively responsible centers go, Danault seems to fly under the radar. However, he played a pivotal role in the Montreal Canadiens’ Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final during the 2020-2021 season.
After the Tampa Bay Lightning claimed their second consecutive Stanley Cup that year, the wheels fell off the Canadiens roster. Shea Weber hasn’t been one the ice since the 2021 Playoffs, and soon after, Carey Price entered the NHL’s player assistance program, while Danault signed with the Los Angeles Kings as a free agent.
Danault has only hit the 20-goal mark in a single season once, and that was during his first season with the Kings in 2021-2022. The Kings likely didn’t want Danault for his offensive prowess — they wanted him because he’s a very smart player who makes plays at both ends of the ice. This is precisely what the Wild are getting in Khusnutdinov. While he’s a much smaller player than Danault, he’s faster and can make quick decisions.
Waiting for Khusnutdinov to Join the Roster
Of course, there’s always the possibility that Khusnutdinov shocks the Wild organization and shows flashes of future Hall-of-Famer Patrice Bergeron — who is considered among the very best two-way centers to ever play the game. It’s too early to tell. The first order of business is to see the Russian get his first shift wearing a Wild sweater.
While many fans are looking forward to seeing the 21-year-old step onto the ice for the first time in St. Paul, the young Russian is still working through the immigration process to get into the United States, and there’s no timetable for when we will see him step onto North American ice for his first NHL game.
