“Thoughts on Khusnutdinov? Would he be a good fit the Wild with their second first-rounder?”
Continued: “…especially given their overall lack of depth at center?”
Question from
Justin on Twitter
The Minnesota Wild lack a whole lot of skill up front in their system after Kaprill Kaprizov, Matthew Boldy, and Adam Beckman. Adding to that: they are all wingers. The Wild have Alexander Khovanov and Damien Giroux as centremen but really lack in that high-end skill down the middle (you could make an argument that Khovanov is right there though). Marat Khusnutdinov could start to fill that void.
Related:
Marat Khusnutdinov – 2020 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
On top of his high skill level, Khusnutdinov brings an extremely high compete level to his game. He never takes his foot off the gas pedal. From the prospect profile above, written by me:
“If he has the puck, he’s aggressive, forcing his way to the net or to an open spot. Without the puck, he’s on a mission to get it back. He plays hard at both ends, blocking pucks, and his forechecking might be among the best in this class… He has a good top speed and excellent edges as well, making him very dangerous…
“Khusnutdinov has incredible vision and hockey sense, able to find his teammates across the offensive zone for an assist or drive to the net for a slick goal. He’s got an incredible shot which he can fire quickly, beating goaltenders before they know the shot’s off.”
With the Wild’s second first rounder, the young star could be and should very much be on their radar.
https://thehockeywriters.com/bells-2020-nhl-draft-mailbag-mysak-farrell-foerster/