It's safe to say Marat Husnutdinov should never play a single game in the AHL. After years of speculation about what the 21-year-old could do, it's finally time to put on a Minnesota Wild sweater and show everyone what he can do in the NHL. After three years of professional experience in the KHL, he didn't look out of place as Minnesota's third-line center.
The young Russian scored his first goal and had an assist on Jon Merrill's goal against the Anaheim Ducks (lol). While his box score doesn't jump out at you, his underlying numbers are a better representation of what he brings to the Wild.
Sadly, Husnutdinov had to spend almost all of his time tied up with everyone's favorite Wild players like Marcus Foligno, Freddie Gaudreau and Marcus Johansson.
It's a fate I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. But that's the reality John Hynes created for young Mallat. The only time Husnutdinov was separated from Fred, Moose and JoJo was on special teams. However, Husnutdinov logged just under four minutes of power play time and another two minutes on the penalty kill.
Husnutdinov has been on the ice for almost 50 minutes in four games, which is only more than the Wild's four pitchers: Adam Beckman, Vinni Lettieri, Mason Shaw and Jacob Lucchini.
There's been a lot of talk about how good he is at the faceoff dot, but that's not the end of his time in Minnesota. As a promising newcomer, there are pros and cons.
His possession stats are neither good nor bad. His 49.43 Corsi For % is third-worst among forwards over the past four games. However, overall, they are 9th on the team with even strength throughout the season.
There are no points on the scoresheet, and the underlying offensive metrics bear that out. Husnutdinov ranks among the worst on the team with a GF/60 (goals per 60 minutes of play) of 1.52. Of all the Wild regulars, only Gaudreau is worse.
He may not have achieved much, but opponents haven't scored from Husnutdinov. Husnutdinov is one of the best Wild forwards at limiting goals and shots. Currently, Husnutdinov's GA/60 (goals per 60) is his 0. That's right, zero. Large ole goose (not goligoski) eggs. Kass is allowing 29.06 shots per hour, which is not the best but not bad.
The Wild have a 100% save percentage from their goaltenders and the Russian is on the ice. This is a fun but unsustainable statistic. Still, Husnutdinov established a precedent as a net-positive defensive player.
As a third-line center, Hines doesn't have Husnutdinov in a favorable starting position. His defensive zone start percentage of 20.75 is third-highest on the team behind Lettieri and Gaudreau. The role is perfect for Husnutdinov, and he excels in it. But that doesn't help the offensive side of his game.
Husnutdinov also puts his body on the line. In his first four games, Husnutdinov ranks third among forwards with four blocks, two more than anyone else. His discipline has also been perfect so far. Impressively, Husnutdinov took the penalty without taking anything. It has not always been easy for Russians to adapt to North American ice.
However, Husnutdinov wins the showdown. Although the sample size is small, he won 17 of his 30 draws. This is good for his 56% of the Wild's best. In a high-leverage situation, Minnesota may have found a player they can count on to win a draw.
The lack of offensive power is disappointing, but it will come someday. Husnutdinov etched his name into the KHL record books as one of the all-time leading scorers at his age. His name follows Artemi Panarin, Vladimir Tarasenko, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and The Wild's Kirill Kaprizov. This is just his first few games in the NHL, and given the role he's in and the players he's playing with, it's not his best chance to light up the scoresheet. do not have.
Husnutdinov was everything Wilde wanted and more.
All stats and data are via HockeyDB, Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, Capfriend unless otherwise noted.
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