Marat Khusnutdinov has played only six games this year in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg after playing in 63 games last year with 11 goals and 41 points and has now be traded to HC Sochi.
But in the final year of his KHL contract he signed in 2021, SKA refused to play one of their best forwards on the team, like they did to top NHL prospect Matvei Michkov.
SKA eventually loaned Michkov to HC Sochi where he has played in 11 games and recorded five goals and 12 points while playing top-line minutes with Sochi.
Khusnutdinov, 21, was the Wild's second-round pick in 2020 after they traded Luke Kunin to the Nashville Predators for Nick Bonino and the 37th overall pick.
The 5-foot-9 center projects to be a top-six scorer at the NHL level but hasn't been able to play games in the KHL with SKA because it is known Khusnutdinov will leave the KHL after the year is over to come to Minnesota next season.
Khusnutdinov isn't the only top Wild prospect who is expected to come over to Minnesota after the 2023-24 season is over. Liam Ohgren and Danila Yurov are the other two who are expected to turn pro alongside Khusnutdinov. They will all likely get some AHL time before NHL time but all three play an electric offensive game that the Wild are excited about.
In the first four games of the year, Khusnutdinov played eight minutes and 37 seconds in game one, was a healthy scratch in game two, played nine minutes and 38 seconds in game three, and was a healthy scratch in game four.
The 165-pound forward is currently projected to become a little lesser version of Washington Capitals star forward, Evgeny Kuznetsov.
You can see that projecting via Byron Bader's Hockey prospecting model. You may also recognize the name Kirill Kaprizov on Khusnutdinov full comparisons. The Wild's top prospect is projected to be a 50-plus point center in the NHL when he makes the transition and could be the future No. 1 center the Wild have been long looking for.
Khusnutdinov also could play with Kaprizov whom he compares to, and create a dynamic connection with the Wild's star player after Mats Zuccarello's contract is up in 2026.
Kaprizov's contract also expires in 2026 but he likely would've played with Khusnutdinov by then which could make him want to stay. Especially if he was playing with Yurov too, whom Kaprizov has been texting back-and-forth with about playing together since Yurov was drafted in 2022.
Nonetheless, it is positive news that Khusnutdinov has been dealt to HC Sochi which means he will get much more ice time than what he was getting with SKA which will only help his development.
Required Reading
• Wild announce opening night roster