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stfrank -> RE: Wild 2023/2024 Season (2/28/2024 2:00:14 PM)
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From the Athletic.
Wild sign Khusnutdinov
The Wild announced Wednesday that they have signed forward prospect Marat Khusnutdinov to a two-year entry-level deal.
According to a source close to the 2020 second-rounder, his representatives received completed paperwork for a mutual contract termination with KHL Sochi on Wednesday morning. They had to review it to make certain it satisfied requirements for a contract release before making the signing with the Wild official. Even though Sochi’s season has ended, Khusnutdinov’s contract ran through April 30.
A team source told The Athletic that the plan is to burn the first year of his contract and have him report to Minnesota once his U.S. work visa and immigration papers are complete.
During that time period, the Wild will be able to designate Khusnutdinov to non-roster status, an NHL source said. While his pro-rated average annual value will count against the cap, this will buy the Wild time to create roster room. As of now, they’re at the maximum 23 players, so to fit Khusnutdinov on the roster, they will need to place a player on waivers, trade a player or sustain an injury that would require the player to be placed on injured reserve.
If for some reason Khusnutdinov’s work visa isn’t complete until after the March 8 trade deadline, all of this is moot because teams can exceed the 23-player roster limit after the deadline as long as they’re cap-compliant. He would still be playoff-eligible, though, as long as his NHL contract is signed.
The Wild envision Khusnutdinov developing into a middle-six center and think he is ready for the NHL. He has 162 regular-season games and 32 playoff games of experience in a men’s league and plays a mature, 200-foot game. He’s versatile enough to play up and down one’s lineup. He’s solid away from the puck, is very fast, a ball of energy, a 50 percent faceoff guy in the KHL and has the skill to make plays.
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