Where is Shakir Mukhamadullin in his development right now?
That’s been a topic of conversation recently, coming to a head on Tuesday, when San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky scratched Mukhamadullin in favor of Nick Leddy before a pivotal game at the Edmonton Oilers.
“That’s a head-scratcher for sure,” an NHL scout, not with the Sharks, told San Jose Hockey Now. “Coaches typically trust vets, but Leddy has been bad [so far this year].”
For context, Leddy, 35, has 1,063 NHL regular season games and a Stanley Cup under his belt, but he also, up to the 5-3 loss at Edmonton, had only played one professional game in two months. The $4 million AAV blueliner had passed through waivers in this time and made a single appearance for the San Jose Barracuda.
Mukhamadullin, on the other hand, is 24, a 2020 first-round pick, still lots of hockey ahead of him. One of the prized acquisitions from the Timo Meier trade in 2023, the 6-foot-4 blueliner has clear big league tools, from his skating and reach and puck-moving. But his growth has been stalled, at times, by a variety of factors, from injuries to getting benched to his own play.
On the surface, the San Jose Sharks sitting Mukhamadullin for Leddy, before their biggest game of the season, made zero sense.
But this scout, who has watched Mukhamadullin since the Olympic break, including his “breakout” game on Feb. 28 against the Oilers, shared a candid perspective on where the young Russian’s game is right now…for better and worse.