Sheng Peng
The reviews are in for Shakir Mukhamadullin’s NHL debut.
The 2020 New Jersey Devils’ first-round pick, the centerpiece of last January’s Timo Meier trade, made his NHL debut for the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 27.
Sharks head coach David Quinn was impressed.
“There’s a lot to like about him,” Quinn said about the 6-foot-5 defender’s first big league stint. “Just his poise. His decision-making. He’s got a physicality to him.”
Of course, Quinn is going to be complimentary of his player in public. Perhaps better evidence of Quinn’s feelings for Mukhamadullin was his usage.
In the San Jose Sharks’ three games before the All-Star break, the 22-year-old defenseman logged 21:09 of icetime, second only to Jan Rutta, and registered his first NHL assist and four penalty minutes. He also quarterbacked San Jose’s second-unit power play.
However, the San Jose blueline has been beset by injuries. So even that’s not the best bar. Another way to evaluate Mukhamadullin?
I turned to NHL scouts outside of the San Jose Sharks organization and asked them two questions: What do they think about Mukhamadullin? And do they think the Sharks should keep the Russian defenseman in the NHL or AHL after the break?
I spoke with four NHL scouts, and they’re all high on Mukhamadullin. That’s four NHL scouts from four different organization.
“He’ll be [Jay] Bouwmeester. Great future,” Scout #1 said.
Like Mukhamadullin, Bouwmeester was a tall and relatively lean blueliner, mobile and with a complete two-way game.
The 6-foot-4 defender was also a special teams staple, perhaps miscast as a No. 1 defenseman in his heyday with the Florida Panthers – his highest Norris Trophy finish was 11th in 2006-07, when he notched a career-high 42 points – but he enjoyed an outstanding career, topping double-digit goals three times, appearing in 1,240 games, and averaging 24:04 a night.
The Sharks would be thrilled if that was Mukhamadullin’s ceiling. While that’s no guarantee, they’d also be happy if he ends up as a solid middle-pairing blueliner.
“He’s impressive. He’s got some things to clean up, I think,” Scout #2 said. “But he’s certainly impressive for what he does at that size.”
Should Mukhamadullin clean things up in the AHL or the NHL? There’s a good debate to be had there: Would he benefit more from bigger minutes and being leaned on for the San Jose Barracuda’s perhaps futile but still possible playoff push? Or would he get more from less but tougher minutes with the San Jose Sharks?
The Sharks should be getting healthier post-bye, so left-handers Mario Ferraro and Henry Thrun, who were out during Mukhamadullin’s NHL debut, could be ahead of Mukhamadullin on the depth chart. Lefties Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Nikita Okhotiuk also have cases to play too.
“I’d sure love to have him here,” Quinn said after Mukhamadullin’s last NHL appearance. “But that’s a decision that we have to make as an organization. Regardless of whether he played well enough, what’s best for his development is really the only thing that matters.”
So what do the scouts think?
“If the AHL team was any good, I’d say stay there, but since both teams stink, I’d say just monitor how he’s doing and if he’s not getting swarmed or overwhelmed, keep him up,” Scout #1 said.
“He can stay now, but they’re probably gonna want him down if they think the Barracuda have a [chance at a] playoff spot,” Scout #3 said. “Depends how they want to handle him.”
There’s no consensus there. But there is consensus in what the scouts are seeing on the ice with Mukhamadullin.
“He’s close,” Scout #4 said.
“He just needs to mature, tighten up his defensive game. Maybe get a little meaner,” Scout #3 said.
“Just needs time. Has all the tools,” Scout #1 said. “He’ll be great at the 175-game mark.”