Wild prospect Marat Khusnutdinov inks deal, arrival imminent
The Wild announced Wednesday they have inked Marat Khusnutdinov to a two-year entry-level contract.
Khusnutdinov was the team's second-round pick in the 2020 draft and has spent the last four seasosn starring in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
The Athletic's Michael Russo reported that Khusnutdinov will join the team as soon as he receives a U.S. work visa and his immigration papers are complete.
The 21-year-old finished the 2023-24 KHL season with 20 points (six goals and 14 assists) in 49 games for HK Sochi. Khusnutdinov had 41 points (11 goals and 30 assists) for SKA St. Petersburg during the 2022-23 season.
The Athletic considers the young center as the Wild's fifth-best prospect saying, "He projects as a potential third-line type who can play up and down the lineup."
Russo reports that until Khusnutdinov's paperwork is complete the team will designate him to non-roster status in order to stay under the 23-player threshold. If the paperwork is completed ahead of the March 8 trade deadline the Wild will need to clear a roster spot in order to fit Khusnutdinov on the squad. After the trade deadline teams are able to roster more than 23 players as long as they remain cap compliant.
