C/W Marat Khusnutdinov (2020, 37th, MIN)
- Thread starter Pavel Buchnevich
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MuckOG
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- May 18, 2012
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Caser
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Solid debut. He was pretty much as advertised. Great skater, conscientious defender. Offense will be the big question but it’s a safe bet the coaching staff will like him.
Marc the Habs Fan
Moderator
First NHL assist tonight off a faceoff win. Won 6 of 9 draws - nice to see that facet of his game translate to the NHL.
Overall he looks as advertised, great skater and energy player with limited offensive potential.
He’s got more tenacity than I expected. He’s very quick on the forecheck and good at separating guys from the puck. Very useful player to have around on a Wild team with no depth
Yeah, he doesn't seem to be hesitant about playing in heavy traffic(on the goal he assisted he was screening in front), whether in front of the net or in board battles. VG positioning, and solid defensively, which isn't the easiest thing to do when you are on on a new team in a new league.
You can tell he is a good skater, but haven't seen him flash great speed. I think that might come once he starts figuring out the league, and where to find his spots?
I am not seeing much in the way of puck skills yet, but it's not like he is playing with offensive geniuses.
It's still early, and some holes might show up in his game, but so far, to me he looks clearly better than Luchinni, Lettieri, Shaw and Beckman. I suspect Gaudreau is playing hurt, but he has been awful this year, and once Marat gets familiar with the system I can see him taking some of his minutes, and maybe Johansson's? Comparing him to those six might be damning him with faint praise, but he sure looks like he can be a NHL'er, at least on this team.
You can tell he is a good skater, but haven't seen him flash great speed. I think that might come once he starts figuring out the league, and where to find his spots?
I am not seeing much in the way of puck skills yet, but it's not like he is playing with offensive geniuses.
It's still early, and some holes might show up in his game, but so far, to me he looks clearly better than Luchinni, Lettieri, Shaw and Beckman. I suspect Gaudreau is playing hurt, but he has been awful this year, and once Marat gets familiar with the system I can see him taking some of his minutes, and maybe Johansson's? Comparing him to those six might be damning him with faint praise, but he sure looks like he can be a NHL'er, at least on this team.
MuckOG
Registered User
- May 18, 2012
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The Wild have been terrible on the face off for what seems like forever. It would be huge if we finally had a guy that was consistently above the 50% mark.
Caser
Moderator
Good game for him last night and I feel like he’s been getting better and better each game and week. His speed is very good in the NHL and hands are solid too. In the rare moments where he has played with our talented guys he has looked like he fits in.
He is tiny though, and that does concern me for his long term outlook, he’s likely a middle six player skill wise, but those are often the most contested spots so he will need to bring a consistent impact to stay in this league long term. Feel mostly positive about him so far though, he does stay on his feet and win some battles through smart stick work.
He is tiny though, and that does concern me for his long term outlook, he’s likely a middle six player skill wise, but those are often the most contested spots so he will need to bring a consistent impact to stay in this league long term. Feel mostly positive about him so far though, he does stay on his feet and win some battles through smart stick work.
I wouldn't call him tiny, at all. Definitely taller than Rossi, Spurgeon, Zuccarello. Pretty strong on his skates, too, and doesn't just hang around the perimeter. Willing forechecker.
I want to see him use his speed lugging the puck through the neutral zone. I've seen him do it a couple of times and it looks to be an area in which he could excel.
I want to see him use his speed lugging the puck through the neutral zone. I've seen him do it a couple of times and it looks to be an area in which he could excel.
I think 3C duties are perfect for him, speedy, defensively responsible, good forechecker and backchecker, and has some offensive skills and potential.
He's not a brute or anything, but seems strong enough to withstand a bit of heavy going. Strong in his skates. MN can use a 3C, with Dewar traded and Gaudreau's game going in the tank this year.
His coach, John Hynes, had positive things to say about him last night:
“I think we knew about Brock and I think Chisholm’s had a pretty good stint here, but to me (Marat) Khusnutdinov was skating really well tonight. I thought he played a couple pretty good games.”
“I think we knew about Brock and I think Chisholm’s had a pretty good stint here, but to me (Marat) Khusnutdinov was skating really well tonight. I thought he played a couple pretty good games.”
Safe to say it hasn't been a great start to the season for him. Is it more being stuck on a pretty ineffective 4th line or his own struggles?
- Dec 10, 2012
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Are you basing this on his stat line or what? And what were your expectations for him?
I think you'd be hard pressed to find many Wild fans who are disappointed in him so far. Came into this season expecting him to be a solid 4C for us and that's exactly what he's been.
- Dec 10, 2012
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- 18,926
He's got some good tools with his speed and his hands, but he's a little lacking right now in putting it all together to create many great scoring chances. Think he's slowly getting more comfortable with the NHL game, but he's not going to be a major offensive contributor. That said, the defensive side of his game is solid for now, and he can hold his own.
Like I said, most Wild fans were expecting a 4C coming in, and we think in the future he can become a good 3C. Some fans have even brought up Haula as a potential comparison moving forward, though I don't think many believe he'll reach the offensive highs Haula did after he left Minnesota.
I've been happy with his play. Very fast, reasonably strong for a small guy, is very competitive in puck battles, makes smart, safe plays with the puck. Offense seems to be a bit stodgy, but he isn't playing with talented offensive players. He might have a Haula like trajectory to his career. Erik couldn't get off the bench for a while under Yeo, and when he did it was in a defensive role.
Now Trenin is a different story... what a dopey slug and waste of cap space.
Now Trenin is a different story... what a dopey slug and waste of cap space.
Offensively, yes, but he is depended upon to be a defensive presence, and he is doing a good job of that. As a lot of middle six Wild players age out or slow down over the next couple of years (Johansson, Zuccarello, Gaudreau, Foligno, Hartman) I can see him getting some more offensive opportunities.
