As a former first round pick with size (6'4) and speed Shakir Mukhamadullin has the pedigree and build to be an every night National Hockey League player. The most significant return piece received by the Edmonton Oilers in the trade that saw longtime Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse moved to the San Jose Sharks, Mukhamadullin has a potential road to becoming a key piece of the team's back end as players like Mattias Ekholm potentially age out of their prime.
But the ingredients are there for some challenges as well. Mukhamadullin has some history of publicly voicing concerns over ice time and utilization, and that may not go over well with new Oilers head coach Mike Babcock. The new bench boss has a reputation for his no-nonsense approach, and he may not appreciate media comments around ice time or usage from a depth defenseman.
Mukhamadullin has potential
Development timelines for blueliners are generally longer than for forwards. Rookie mistakes often become goals against, shortening the tether coaches are willing to give a young defender, whereas a forward who gives the puck away has two levels of defense helping to keep that error from becoming a minus-1. Mukhamadullin has played around 80 NHL games to date, and there's a common refrain that NHL defenders need between 200 and 300 to really understand how to do the job in the world's best league.
His point totals suggest there's plenty to like about the player's potential. With 5 goals and 7 assists last season, on a Sharks team with a horrid goal differential, Mukhamadullin was only minus-3. That suggests there's work yet to be done, but with the right defensive partner, he doesn't have far to go to get to a point where he is a positive overall presence in a given game.
A player like Morgan Reilly may give us an inkling of Babcock's ability to bring along a young defender. Reilly was a few seasons into his NHL career when Babcock joined the Maple Leafs organization. In Reilly's early seasons, on an admittedly bad Toronto hockey club, his plus/minus was deep in the negatives. As the team improved, Babcock seems to have managed to coax more balanced play out of Reilly, with positive numbers posted over consecutive seasons.
Mukhamadullin needs to navigate carefully, minding how and when he expresses his opinions, especially when speaking with the media. Babcock is his coach in the present, and will surely have a significant impact on the trajectory of his career.
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