Shakir Mukhamadullin landed with the Edmonton Oilers this offseason, and his new head coach Mike Babcock does not tolerate excuses.
The 24 year old defenseman arrived as the headline piece in the trade that sent Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks.
Mukhamadullin has size at 6-foot-4 and enough speed to project as an everyday NHL defender down the line.
But he also carries a history of speaking up publicly about ice time, and that habit could run straight into Babcock's personality.
Babcock built his reputation on a no-nonsense approach behind the bench. He has never had much patience for media chatter about usage from depth players.
Mukhamadullin posted 5 goals and 7 assists last season, finishing at minus-3 on a Sharks team that bled goals all year.
That number actually says something. On a bad roster, a minus-3 from a young rearguard isn't damning, it's almost encouraging.
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Blueliners take longer to develop than forwards, and the math backs that up. A rookie mistake on the back end often turns straight into a goal against.
There's a common line in scouting circles that defensemen need 200 to 300 NHL games before the position truly clicks. Mukhamadullin has played close to 50.
So is this Babcock's guy, or another young player who gets buried for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time?
Coaches like Babcock have shaped young defensemen before, pushing them through rough patches instead of shipping them out.
That history offers Mukhamadullin some hope, but it comes with a catch. Babcock also has zero interest in players who complain through the media.
Mattias Ekholm remains entrenched on Edmonton's blue line after posting 41 points and a plus-32 rating last season, which only adds to the pressure.
The Oilers finished 41-30-11 a year ago under a different coaching staff, good for 93 points and a spot near the middle of the league.
Stan Bowman brought in Babcock in June, betting a firmer hand could push a talented but inconsistent roster further than last spring's finish.
Mukhamadullin now has to prove he belongs in that picture without giving his new coach any reason to bury him in the lineup.
How he handles his first tough stretch, and what he says publicly if it happens, will tell Oilers fans everything about his shelf life in Edmonton.
Source : Edmonton Oilers newcomer may clash with new boss Mike Babcock
Will Mike Babcock's hard-nosed style get the best out of Shakir Mukhamadullin?
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