Predators First-Round Pick Hitting a Rough Patch in the KHL

Over in Russia, the Nashville Predators' 22nd overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, Yegor Surin, got off to a hot start when the KHL season got under way. As of late though, he's been struggling quite a bit offensively. 

The 20-year-old forward had a four-game goal scoring streak to start the 2026-27 season for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and recorded seven points in his first five games.

"To put it simply, he's going to be an NHL player," Elite Prospects scout Dylan Griffing wrote during Surin's scoring streak. "His playstyle hasn't changed at all since his draft year; a pacey, individualistic, bulldog of a centre, just charging through the opponents to cause chaos and panic. The skill level still isn't at the top-six level, but he seems like an easy third-line projection."

Since then though, things haven't been smooth sailing for Surin. After recording an assist against Traktor Chelyabinsk, Surin went five straight games without appearing on the scoresheet. 

Surin picked up another assist against Sibir Novosibirsk to close out the month of September, but he was unable to carry that momentum into the new month. In the first week of October, Surin played in two games but failed to pick up another point.

There's still plenty of time for Surin to get his season back on track, but I'm sure both Lokomotiv and Surin himself would prefer to get that done sooner than later.