When New York Islanders prospect Ruslan Iskhakov decided to sign a two-year deal with the KHL’s CSKA Moscow, the news was met with a ton of negative comments.
Many fans believed the former second-round pick in 2018 was a bust and that it was just “another prospect” whose development failed in the Islanders’ system.
While seeing prospects leave due to a lack of opportunity isn’t ideal, especially for a team like the Islanders, whose prospect pool usually gets ranked toward the bottom of the NHL, Iskhakov leaving for the KHL isn’t as bad as people think.
Over his two years with the Islanders, Iskhakov excelled in the AHL, making the All-Star team back-to-back years.
He scored 35 goals with 66 assists for 101 points in 138 games.
Iskhakov was a walking — skating — highlight reel, showing off his creativity and finishing in shootouts and breakaways, which made him look like a clear option to help the Islanders, especially in their top six.
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However, the highlights masked Iskhakov’s weaknesses, at least to the World Wide Web — not the Islanders.
At 5’8, Iskhakov struggles with the physicality, as one can expect. That doesn’t mean he can’t overcome that, as we’ve seen short players like Martin St. Louis and Brad Marchand play bigger than they were.
One of the first things Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said about Iskhakov, who was recalled for a meaningless Game 82, is that Iskhakov doesn’t know how small he is.
Iskahkov doesn’t play scared, but what needs work is his ability to play without the puck and use his size, or lack thereof, to his advantage.
Like Oliver Wahlstrom, whose future with the Islanders is in doubt, Iskhakov’s skill set fits a top-six role, not a bottom-six role.
With the Islanders signing two forwards, Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov, there just wasn’t a spot for Iskahkov to be a top-six player, and given all he’s done in the AHL, heading overseas was the right move.
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With CSKA Moscow, Iskhakov will have the chance to play big minutes and show that he is more than just a magician.
Yes, the KHL isn’t as physical as the NHL — something Iskhakov needs to get used to — but this is all about opportunity, and playing against arguably better competition should force Iskhakov to get his release off quicker and get up the ice quicker (he’s not as fast as people think, just shifty).
It was clear that the Islanders needed to see more from Iskhakov before determining that he could be an everyday option at the NHL level.
The Islanders will still own his rights until Iskhakov turns 27 — he’s 24 now — so the Islanders can see how he grows over the next few seasons while Iskhakov gets the opportunity he wouldn’t get in North America.
If the Islanders see the necessary growth over the next two seasons, they can get him back in the fold.
But while Iskhakov is not here over the next two years, that will allow other prospects ample opportunity in Bridgeport to grow their game and become potential NHL options.
Related: Iskhakov KHL Bound, Three Bridgeport Islanders Who Will Need To Produce
If Iskhakov shows well in the KHL, but the Islanders still don’t believe he fits their game plan, his trade value will likely be higher.
If that happens, the Islanders could move his rights in potentially a package for a more significant piece.
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